Tales of Xalthia
by Soraesteed
Summary: Pay no mind to the category! This has nothing to do with Tales of VS. Anyway, welcome to my own creation into the "Tales of..." series, Tales of Xalthia. This story has nothing to do with any known Tales games except for the summon/great spirits, Boosters, Blastia and Exshperes.
1. Prelude

**Tales of Xalthia**

**Act 1: Warm Beginnings**

**Prelude:**

**M**ana, the source of life in all living things. The world is dependent on mana for daily life. Working at a job, fighting off monsters, treating the injured even travel by land, sea and air. Mana is what drives human life and continues their advancement. It's what gives birth to not only life but magic. Mana is controlled and maintained by the Four Great Spirits. The element of Fire is maintained by the Great Spirit, Efreet. The element of Water and Ice is maintained by the Great Spirit, Undine. The element of Wind is maintained the Great Spirit, Sylph. Finally, the element of Earth is maintained by the Great Spirit, Gnome. With the power of the Four Great Spirits, the balance between every element can be properly maintained and can be distributed evenly to all living things. However, whenever something becomes seemingly balanced, there will always be something to cause a shift in the balance, throwing everything into complete and utter chaos.

As technology and humans advance with each passing year, the price for Mana continues to increase. Mana starts to become high in demand and that causes conflicts to occur. Those conflicts causes the balance of Mana to be thrown off which can end in dangerous and sometimes life-threatening results. Humans are siphoning the Mana faster than it can reproduce itself. Pure Mana has become such a hard thing to come by now with all the advancements that scientists have created Boosters to compensate the lack of Mana. Boosters give a person an increase in their abilities but the side-effects can be life-threatening if they're used too much. If a person uses a Booster one too many times, they will lose their life. For that reason, Boosters are only administered to military personnel and should only be used as a last resort. Everyone else had to make due with the lack of Mana themselves or acquiring yet another means of tapping into Mana; a Blastia. A Blastia is a less common form of tapping into Mana that's slowly starting to become a popular use again. Unlike Boosters, using Blastia is a safer way to use Mana as it doesn't put the user at risk of death. Blastia is more commonly used by adventurers. Others prefer to fight with their own abilities, unassisted by Boosters or Blastia.

As Mana becomes more scarce, nations start to become corrupt. They desired more power and dominance. The desire of having more power and dominance led to the world's deadliest war, the War of Mana. The War of Mana took place for decades. Every nation took part in this bloody war and the death tolls were uncountable. Foreseeing the end of the world, beings known as the Ancients either disappeared or were wiped out during the war. The Ancients were humans who were direct descendants of the world's first inhabitants. These people held tremendous power that were unmatched by many. The war would be the end of everything, if the Four Great Spirits hadn't intervened. Before the kingdoms could use their most powerful and deadliest weapons, The Four Great Spirits put all of their Mana into single attack that's known as Judgment. This attack erupted in the center of the battlefield, killing thousands of soldiers from all sides in a flash. What resulted from the attack was not only a higher death toll, but a massive crater in the center of the world and shockwaves that surged throughout the entire world, causing damages to the cities and the land itself. The humans were given a message to stop the war as it was depleting an already low supply of Mana. If they wanted to, they could of wiped the world clean and begin the growth of the world anew. The battlefield and crater is now known as the Fields of Mar, according to history. Witnessing the devastating power of the Spirits, the nations backed off and returned to where they belong. The war and witnessing the end result from the war caused humans to rethink their way of life and the position they were in. They needed to change their ways. Their intervention was what put a stop the a war that would of wiped out the entire world.

Four hundred years have passed since the war ended. The Spirits never again showed themselves to humans. Humans have achieved a better way of life now. Rather being dependent on technology and Mana alone, they had other advancements in agriculture and other methods of life to sustain the human race. Due to these changes over the years, the world was able to reproduce most of the Mana that was used during the war but a great portion still needed to be reproduced. The nations never again waged war on each other. That doesn't mean that they were all at peace though. Nations still had enemies. War could still be on the horizon. Humans still tend to abuse the use of Mana even one hundred years after what happened the first time when the abuse went on too much. Boosters still exist and remain in use by the military forces and Blastia is now the second most common use of tapping into Mana safely. The question remains, however. Can the humans continue on the road they have been walking along for one hundred years or will they deviate from the road and repeat past mistakes?


	2. Chapter 1: Life of a Knight

**Tales of Xalthia**

**Chapter 1: Life of a Knight**

**L**ocated on the continent in the center of the world lies the Holy Kingdom of Eresseas on the continent of Cayhill. Including Eresseas, there are a total of six kingdoms on different continents. Honegroth, the Empire of Dreams lies on the northern continent of Menorion. Menorion's land has a little of everything from every continent. From grassy plains to a vast desert to mountains. Esseand, the Kingdom of Staves is located in the forest and cavernous region of the northwestern continent of Ersheath. The Republic of Sirione sits on the southern most continent of Megrove, influenced by the abundance of swamp and farmlands. The Realm of Dolothlond lies in the mountainous terrain of the southwestern continent of Nargelond. Finally, the Principality of Lone lies in the middle of a desert on the northeastern continent that sits in-between Menorion and Megrove.

Eresseas, located in the center of a massive lake connected to land by a massive stone bridge, is ruled by a royal family beloved by everyone of Cayhill. According to history, Eresseas was once known as The Grand Duchies but since Cayhill is considered "holy grounds" due to the fact that the War of Mana took place where Eresseas now stands Four hundred years later and having almost the entire kingdom nearly wiped out, the former kingdom was reformed into a new image under a new name. Since the conclusion of the war, the land slowly started to recover after the devastation. The once-barren landscape was now full of life once again. The only thing that remains the same was the massive crater caused by the Four Great Spirits, which is located in northeastern part of the continent. That crater was now filled with water due to four hundred years of rain and the newly formed rivers that go out to sea. Thanks to the hard efforts of the people and their knowledge of Earth Artes, new land was formed within the crater. To accompany the water that now fills the crater, a small city was built named the River City of Briswater. The only remaining traces of the war were scattered debris consisting of rusted armor, weapons and machinery that were still at the bottom of the crater and littered around the forest grounds that surround the city. Cayhill is the smallest continent so the population isn't as high in numbers. Unlike the other continents, Cayhill is in a neutral zone which means they don't take sides in fights that pertain to other kingdoms.

Acting under the royal family of Eresseas are eight people who are selected by the King and Queen themselves to become the royal family's elite guard. These handpicked warriors were formally recognized as the Royal Eight. Three of the eight people are chosen to act as bodyguards for the King, Queen and the Princess. One of those knights was a young swordsman who also has a personal relationship with the Princess. That knight is named Tsuki Himura. Tsuki is charged with bodyguard duty of the Princess. He's also Princess' childhood friend. Additionally to protecting the Princess, just like every other knight under the service of the royal family, he's sent off to different places of Cayhill under official business for missions such as overseeing political matters, handling delicate cases like kidnappings and emergency distress calls.

Tsuki, the youngest person of the Royal Eight and the same age as the Princess, was walking down the castle halls as if he was returning from a mission. He was eighteen years old so according to Eresseas' history, he's the youngest person to ever serve under the King and Queen as their elite guard. The armor he was wearing was made of iron with the flag of Eresseas designed into the chest plate. Everything else was pretty standard when it comes to heavy armor. Although, his armor appeared to be as if he had just gotten out of a brawl. There were scratches, dents and even torn metal plating on his armor. As he was walking down the hallway, he kept receiving looks of amazement and awe from the guards, scholars and other people residing within the castle.

As Tsuki was walking down the hallway, a man was seen standing in his path as he had his hands on his hips. He could spot Tsuki from a mile away. **"Hey, Tsuki!"** he called out to him. He then started to approach Tsuki.

Tsuki stopped and looked down the hall to where the voice came from. Down the hall was a man who was wearing the same armor as he was except without the dents, scratches and torn plating. The man to be slightly older than him too. **"Hey Zero. What's up?"** he asked the man.

Zero walked up closer to him and examined him closely. **"Man, you're a mess. Did you stumble off a cliff or something?"** he said in a joking manner. Zero Hisagi was twenty-five years old, the second youngest person of the Royal Eight. **"I just came to welcome you back after a job well done. I heard that a lot of crazy things went down in Basilwell."** he informed him.

Tsuki nodded his head. **"Something like that, yeah. It wasn't too bad though as I had the support of my companions and lots of others as well. It did get a little out of hand though"** he admitted. His mission took way longer than expected and he was met with a lot of complications during his mission which was the reason why it took so long to return. He should of expected that word would of got around the town and castle though. He even got looks from the townspeople.

Zero shrugged his shoulders, tilting his head a bit in the process. **"That's true. At least you and your companions made it out safely without casualty. I wish I could say the same about the people of Basilwell though.****"** he told said in a soft tone. He sighed a bit, looking down at the ground and scratched his head a bit before looking at him once more. **"So, tell me about these companions who traveled with you. You've been gone for several months, after all. I'm a little surprised to see them not accompanying you."** he whispered to him.

Tsuki folded his arms and fell into thought for a moment. **"Basilwell is in good hands. The town is in the final stages of reconstruction. The townspeople and government officials there are an amazing bunch. I still mourn for those who lost their lives though. I wish I could of done more to help them."** he said. The events that took place in Basilwell were some of the hardest challenges and ordeals he's ever had to deal with a knight. That was his first time in actual combat that would of affected the entire nation. **"What can I say? My companions were great. There was a young girl about my age who was an exceptional healer. Her spells saved me and everyone else quite a few times. I don't know where we would of been without her aid. Then, there was a middle aged man who turned out to be a mercenary. He was kind of like a role model to us. His fighting style was very unique because he used a broadsword and a gun which made him a threat in both short and long ranged combat. The last companion I didn't know as long since he joined up with us very late into my mission but his fighting style and resourcefulness was very useful in Basilwell. He was taught in hand-to-hand combat with metal plating on his hangs and feet. They were all great friends and I'm glad to have been able to meet them."** he explained. He fell silent for a moment and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them again and looking at Zero. **"Unfortunately, we parted ways at the town entrance. It was time for me to return to the castle and they had their own plans already sorted out by the time we left Basilwell" **he said.

Zero nodded, listening to his story. He was really interested to hear about what took place in Basilwell especially when he received reports about what had been going on there. **"The entrance, huh? What were their plans?"** he asked him. He wanted to meet these companions himself. If they were as good as Tsuki claims, they would make great additions as knights.

Tsuki nodded at his response. **"They were planning on traveling to the other places around Cayhill that we never visited before. I directed them to the Iron Maiden where they could rest up and be ready to leave tomorrow morning. I wish I could go with them but I can't abandon my duties as a knight"** he told him. Truthfully, he wanted to go on more adventures with them. They were his friends and he was sad that he had to leave. However, he knows that he can't go abandoning his duty he has to the kingdom so he has no choice.

Zero crossed his arms, stroking his chin in thought. **"I see. Well, it's a shame they didn't come with you. I'm sure the King and Queen would of been happy to express their gratitude to them since they were a tremendous help to you on your mission."** Judging from the look on Tsuki's face, they clearly had a big impact on him.

Before Zero could say anything else, they both heard a voice shouting out to them further down the hallway **"Hey! You're late!"** the voice shouted, echoing down the hallway.

They both looked down the hallway and saw a woman who appeared to be in the same armor as Zero and Tsuki. Unlike Zero though, she appeared quite a bit older. Tsuki and Zero looked at each other and shrugged before walking down the hallway towards the woman who called out to them.

The woman was standing with her hands on her hips as she stared down at Tsuki and Zero as they approached her. They stopped at arm's length and a brief moment of silence took place between them. Then, the woman sighed heavily. **"You had us all worried, Tsuki. Next time, send a postcard or something"** she told him in a calmer tone.

Tsuki rubbed the back of his head, feeling relieved. He chuckled a bit at her response, not sure what to say to her. **"****Sorry, Aya. I didn't mean to cause worry for everyone"** he said. He couldn't blame her though. A lot did happen while he was out on his mission. He'd be a bit concerned if no one wasn't worried. Tsuki may be an exceptional fighter with all of his skills with a sword and other combat-related abilities being self taught, but even he has his limits and they were certainly pushed to their ends.

Aya Kazuma is the second oldest member of the Eight. She was forty-five years old and the Queen's personal bodyguard. She gently tapped Tsuki's shoulder, shaking her head. **"Of course we were going to worry. What do you expect? You were sent off to do a simple mission and that turned into a devastation that would of affected the entire continent. Not only did you have us worried, you also caused the King and Queen some stress as well. Don't even get me started about the Princess either. She was riddled with worry everyday."** she said, almost scolding him..

Tsuki knew what everyone would of gone through, especially the Princess. Throughout his mission, he kept in constant contact with the royal family through carrier pigeon. However, he stopped sending messages prior to what took place in Basilwell. The only reason everyone knew about what happened was through transmissions from the Basilwell authorities. **"I guess I have a lot of explaining to do, huh? I have a feeling this is going to take some time to explain."** he said, scratching the back of his head.

Aya nodded. She then turned around and faced further down the hallway. **"Yes you do. It's best not to keep the royal family waiting any longer. They've been waiting for your arrival since you told them you were returning home. We'll be waiting to hear the _short_ version of your mission in our meeting hall.****"** she told him.

They then started to walk down the hallway together for a little while longer with Tsuki still receiving looks from other people walking by. Soon, they reached a large set of doors which signified the audience chamber. Aya and Zero walked to each side of the doors and held onto the door handles. They then nodded to each other and pushed open the doors. Behind the doors was a massive room with small waterfalls all throughout the room. At the far end of the room, there were three chairs that the King, Queen and Princess were sitting in with a large stained glass mural behind them overlooking the waters that surrounded the city. Tsuki walked into the audience chamber with Aya and Zero following him, shutting the doors behind them and stood guard by them. Tsuki took a deep breath and started his walk up the red carpet towards the royal family while Aya and Zero remained at the door.

When Tsuki made it to the foot of the stairs from where the royal family were sitting on top of, he kneeled down and lowered his head to them. **"Tsuki Himura of the Royal Eight, returning from duty"**he said in a polite, respectful manner. His demeanor had completely changed the moment he walked up to the royal family. He kept his head down as he waited for their response.

The King raised his hand up. **"Welcome home, Tsuki. We're very relieved to have you back, safe and sound. We sent you out for a simple mission but it turned out to be something far more dangerous. If we knew what the real mission was, we would of sent far more soldiers to aid you. For that, we apologize."** he said. He tried to speak without letting out a hint of worry.

Tsuki kept to his knees with his head lowered. **"It's quite alright, Your Majesty. Please don't hold the authorities of Basilwell accountable for the deception. As I told you before, they wanted to settle this matter without causing alarm to the kingdom."** he said in response. He had a feeling they would of put some blame on Basilwell and he didn't want that to happen.

The Queen shook her head before starting to talk. **"Please rise, Tsuki. You need not worry about Basilwell. We understand what they were trying to prevent and although it would of been advisable to tell us the truth, we won't hold any ill will against them. Despite the tremendous odds that were stacked against you, things turned out alright"** she said as she examined in carefully. She could clearly see how much he has gone through throughout his mission. The condition his armor was in proves that. **"Despite being up against a powerful enemy, you didn't hesitate to aid those in need. You fought valiantly and because of that, you saved countless lives" **she said.

Tsuki then stood up, lifting up his head and looked at them. He glanced over at the Princess and gave her a slight smile. He then focused on the King and Queen and nodded to her response.**"Thank you, Your Highness. However, ****I don't deserve such praise. If it weren't for the help of my companions that I traveled with, I wouldn't of succeeded"** he informed them.

The King shook his head. **"You give yourself far too little credit. If it weren't for your actions, who knows what would of happened to Basilwell. Actually, to the continent of Cayhill for that matter. So, where are these companions that were with you? Surely, they didn't..."** he said. With all that happened in Basilwell, he didn't want to think that his companions fell in battle.

Tsuki shook his head. **"They're not with me, I'm afraid. We parted ways when we returned to the city. They're staying in town for the night then they are leaving in the morning"** he informed them. He probably could of brought them along with him but they were all exhausted and they had plans to leave in the morning so he wanted to give them enough time to rest and recover before setting out.

The Queen nodded as he spoke. **"I see. Why don't we hold off on your report untill tomorrow. You look like you're about to pass out. Besides..."** she said, looking over to the Princess, who looked as if she was about to jump out of her seat. **"The Princess has been worried sick about you. You two can use the day to catch up. We'll continue this in the morning. You're dismissed."** she instructed him.

Tsuki bowed one last time. **"Of course. Thank you, Your Highness"** he said. He felt kind of relieved that they gave him time to rest and recover his energy. He didn't think he'd have it in him to explain his report in full detail. He then turned around and headed back to the doors. He stopped in front of them as Aya and Zero opened them and glanced at the Princess for a moment. He waved at her then left the audience chamber. Once he left, he headed to the room where the Royal Eight usually hang out at.

Several moments after Tsuki left the audience chamber, the Queen looked over to Princess.**"Well, what are you waiting for? You better catch up to him before he escapes"** she told her. She knew that she was about to fly out of her chair any minute. It was painfully obvious.

The Princess looked over to her mother and nodded. She stood up then bowed to her mother and father. **"Thank you. Please excuse me!"** she said with excitement. She turned around and rushed out of the audience chamber, following Tsuki.

As the Princess hurried out of the audience chamber, Zero left the door and walked up to the King and Queen and bowed. **"King Taichi, Queen Emma, if I may, I have a suggestion"** he said. Zero had a plan in mind and wanted to get approval of the royal family before carrying it out.

Taichi Tsubasa, the King, looked at Zero, stroking his beard in thought. **"What's your suggestion, Zero?"** he asked.

Zero then started to tell the King and Queen what he was planning. There was something missing in Tsuki's return and he thought that the King and Queen should know. He didn't tell Tsuki or anyone else what he was planning. Whether the King and Queen accept his suggestion or not, he was still going to go through with his plan.

After several minutes of walking through hallways, he eventually made it to the room where the Royal Eight were holed up. He stood outside the door and took a deep breath before entering it. After a moment, he opened the door. Upon opening the door, he was greeted by confetti and praise. Inside the room, he saw the remaining five of the Royal Eight. The person closest to his left was a girl about a year older than Zero but looks like she's really eighteen. Her name was Lydia Stanton. The person closest to his right was the oldest member of the Royal Eight. The man was forty-six and his name was Mike Yote. The person in the center of the room was a man who was forty. His name was Stahler Tokesu. In the upper left corner of the room was a young woman at the age twenty-seven. Her name was Xpheria Sykes but everyone just calls her Phi. Finally, in the upper right corner of the room was an older woman at the age of thirty-eight. Her name was Jula Haru.

Once everyone said their congratulations and welcomed Tsuki back home, Lydia walked up to him and examined his face and the condition he was in. **"Looks like you've gotten stronger while you were away"** she said. He almost seemed like a different person.

Mike walked up to Tsuki and patted him on the shoulder. **"Ah, the youth. It's great to be young. By the looks of you, it would appear that you've been through Hell and back again"** he said.

Stahler shook his head and looked at Mike. **"Tsuki is a tough kid. He may be young but he is one of our finest"** he said. Stahler is considered the strongest out of the Royal Eight due to his White Wolf fighting style. White Wolf is a fighting style that has been long forgotten in the passages of time. Only very few people know of it and an even lesser few that have mastered it. It takes years of extensive training but the end result would be devastating once a person masters the fighting style.

Phi shrugged her shoulders and took a short glance at Tsuki. **"He could still use some improvement in his fight style though. I'm sure he still uses his self-taught skills which have been outdated for quite a while"** she said with a judgmental look. Phi is considered to be Tsuki's rival. They always compete against each other to see who's stronger in various challenges. Challenges could be a foot race, sparring match or even rock climbing. It's all about a friendly competition though. It's not like they were setting records or something.

Jula looked over to Phi and sighed, shaking her head. **"You never change, do you? Would it kill you to offer some sort of compliment for him?"** she asked. She then looked over to Tsuki and examined his armor. **"Why don't you change into something less dirty? That armor of yours is pretty much scrap metal at this point but we always have spares ready to go"** she said, pointing towards the small armory in the back of the room.

Tsuki nodded and walked towards the armory where all of their weapons and armor are stored, which are under constant surveillance by the guards and the Royal Eight themselves. When he walked into the center of the room, he heard someone burst through the door. He stopped, knowing who it was before turning around. He turned around and saw the Princess standing at the doorway, who was out of breath since she chased after him. **"I was beginning to wonder when you were going to show up"** he said to her.

The Princess seemed to be almost teary-eyed from happiness while trying to catch her breath. **"Tsu!"** she shouted. She ran towards then lunged towards Tsuki and threw herself at him in a hug and causing them both to fall to the ground with her sitting on top of him.

Tsuki waved to her when she called out his name. He wasn't prepared for her to lunge at him and knocking them both down though. Before he knew it, he was tackled to the ground. **"Agh! Cheria, you didn't have to tackle me"** he told her. He couldn't blame her though. Anyone would do that to someone they care about when they had little to no contact whatsoever over a period of time.

She shook her head and released him from the hug but remained on top of him. **"I couldn't help it! I've really missed you! What did you do? Have you been eating well? You haven't been hurt at all? You have to tell me everything that happened. You must!"** she said. Cheria Tsubasa is not only the Princess of Eresseas, but is also the childhood friend and rumored "sweetheart" of Tsuki. They've been together long before Tsuki was a knight due to extreme circumstances. She was practically holding onto the collar of his armor, shaking him for a bit.

Tsuki was being shook so much that he could barely get a word out. When she eventually stopped, he looked up at her with a dazed look on his face after all the shaking. **"I'm fine, don't worry so much. You should know that I can take care of myself"** he reassured her. He then sat up so he's sitting cross-legged. **"Besides, I'm not sure the Princess of Eresseas should be acting like this in front of the Royal Eight" **he said, pointing to everyone else in the room as they watched them.

Cheria sighed heavily with relief. She no longer had to worry about his safety and well-being now that he's back. **"Can you blame me? I know you can take care of yourself but you were involved in something that could of been very bad"** she said. She then realized that there were other people in the room. She was so excited and focused on Tsuki that she didn't even see the other members of the Royal Eight. Once she realized this, she blushed from embarrassment. **"Oh...uh...hi everyone..."** she said, waving at them rather shyly.

Lydia couldn't help but laugh a bit at Cheria's expense. She hasn't seen her so excited in quite a long time that she nearly forgot how she acts when she's like this. **"Wow, I expected a lot of things from you but I didn't expect you to tackle him to the ground like that. Perhaps you missed him more than everyone initially thought"** she said. Lydia has always loved to tease Cheria about her relationship with Tsuki.

Cheria looks up at Lydia, still feeling embarrassed about her improper display as a Princess. **"S-shut up!"** she said. She hid her face in her hands to hide the embarrassment from everyone in the room.

Tsuki chuckled a little bit to himself then smiled at her. He did miss Cheria and her weird and exciting personality. It was refreshing to be back to where he belongs. **"Cheria...I'm home"** he said. He placed his hand on top of her head and petted her gently.

Cheria looked at Tsuki and smiled in content as he petted her like a dog, still blushing. **"Welcome home, Tsu"** she said. She wanted to talk to him all day long so they could catch up in the things they've missed over the several months he's been gone.

Tsuki stood up, brushing himself off. Then, he held out his hand to help her up to her feet. Cheria looked up at he stood up and took his hand when he held out his hand for her. She then stood up with the help of Tsuki. Once she stood up, she also brushed herself off.

Mike watched Tsuki and Cheria as they had their reunion. When they stood up, he couldn't help but make a comment on their relationship. **"It amazes me on how much the line between those have blurred over the years"** he said.

Phi looked at Mike and shrugged. She wasn't surprised on where their relationship stands. **"What do you expect? They're childhood friends. They treat each other more as brother and sister rather than Princess and knight"** she told him. As long as the Princess was happy, she didn't care what kind of relationship the two shared.

Jula lwalked up to Cheria and placed her hand on her shoulder. **"Your Highness, let Tsuki get some rest. He is very tired from his long mission. Surely, you know this"** she said. She knew that Cheria wanted to talk to Tsuki more but he was clearly too tired to do so.

Cheria looked up at Jula then back at Tsuki and nodded slowly. Part of her wanted him to get some well-deserved rest but another part of her wanted to talk to him longer. **"Yeah...you're right. Let's talk later...is that okay with you?"** she asked Tsuki. She tilted her head, waiting for a response.

Tsuki rubbed the back of his head. **"Of course. I have a lot to tell you, after all. We'll definitely talk after I get some rest"** he told her. Looks like he not only has to give a full debriefing of his mission to the King and Queen, but he also has to give a debriefing to Cheria. He didn't really mind though. Any time spent with the Princess is time well-spent for him.

Cheria nodded and smiled. **"Meet up in our usual spot, okay? I'll be waiting for you"** she said with a cheery smile. She then turned around and started to head to the door. She grabbed the door handle then looked back at Tsuki. **"Have a nice nap, Tsu"** she told him. She then opened the door and left the room.

Tsuki nodded at her last comment before she left. When she left, he then removed the armor he was wearing and set the pieces on a sparring dummy where armor is placed. Under his armor, he wore very thin black clothes since it can get rather hot wearing heavy armor. Once he was ready, he left the room and continued down the hallway a bit more and climbed a set of stairs that led up to the second floor where the rooms for the members of the Royal Eight were located. His room was the farthest one down to the left of the stairs. There was even a place where they could wash up. Before stopping to his room, he stepped inside the washroom to clean himself off. When he was refreshed and clean, he dressed himself and then walked out of the washroom. He then walked over to his room and stepped inside. Once he was in, he took a deep breath. He hasn't stepped in the room in so long. It appeared everything was the same as when he left. He then crawled onto his bed and stared at the ceiling. It was almost weird being back in his room. He's been accustomed to staying at inns and inside of tents for the past few months that he almost forgot what it was like being back in his own room.

As he stared at the ceiling, his thoughts went to the three companions he traveled with throughout his mission. **"I wonder what they're doing right now. I'm sure going to miss them. At the very least, I should get up early tomorrow and see them off"** he told himself. He sighed heavily then closed his eyes. It was conflicting. As he progressed with his mission, he began to ask himself if he should stay in the service of the King and Queen or go on more adventures with his friends. It wasn't an easy decision to make. Ultimately, he chose to stay under service. After a few moments of thinking about his mission and for what's in store for him in the future, he slowly drifted to sleep.

**To be continued...**


	3. Chapter 2: A Missions' Beginning

**Tales of Xalthia**

**Chapter 2: A Missions' Beginning**

**T**suki spent the rest of the day of his homecoming catching up with Cheria after he had rested up for a few hours. Evidently, they had quite a lot to talk about. Their talk ranged from the affairs that happened within the kingdom of Eresseas to about what went on during Tsuki's mission. Since they were so close to each other, near inseparable actually, they didn't keep any secrets. They both were completely honest with each other. Because of their relationship, there have been rumors going around Eresseas. People have been saying that Tsuki and Cheria were lovers and that they were going to be the new King and Queen when Cheria ascends to the throne as Queen. Of course, they were nothing but rumors. They tried to deny them but with everyone in Eresseas gossiping about it, it was difficult to contain it. These kinds of rumors made Cheria flustered, leaving Tsuki to deal with it. He didn't have much luck though. Eventually, they started to ignore the rumors as they weren't true.

The following day, it was time for Tsuki's debriefing. He knew from the moment he returned that it was going to be a very long debriefing. He knew that the King and Queen would want to hear everything that happened from the moment Tsuki left Eresseas to the moment he returned months later. It was kind of like his punishment for the lack of communication and update. It was his own fault that Tsuki had unintentionally neglected to send in mission reports and due to that, the royal family were left in the dark and unaware of majority of what had happened. They had only received small reports and details but nothing really detailed.

Tsuki woke up early the next morning so he could see his companions off but when he got the the Iron Maiden, the clerk told him that they had already left. He was bummed that he missed seeing them off. His only other option was now to go give his debriefing. He then headed to the audience chamber in a new set of armor since his old one was too damaged to be repaired. He soon reached the audience chamber and entered through the doors. He walked up to the thrones where the royal family were sitting and stopped at the foot of the stairs and bowed to them. **"Thank you for letting me get some rest. I'm ready for my debriefing but I must warn you, it's going to be very long"** he told them. It wasn't going to be easy for him since he would have to explain just about everything that took place the moment he left Eresseas.

Taichi held his hand up after he spoke. It seems he wanted to say something before Tsuki started his debriefing. **"Hold off on that for a moment. Let's welcome our special guests first"** he said. He then called out to a guard standing next to a door off to the right-hand side of the audience chamber. **"Guard, send them in"** he instructed him.

The guard looked over to the king and saluted him. **"Yes sir!"** he acknowledged. The guard then walked into the room he was standing next to. He was gone for a few moments and the audience chamber fell silent. When the guard came back, he opened the door once more as three people walked in from the room.

Tsuki turned around when he heard a door open following a series of footsteps that echoed through the audience chamber. He was surprised at what he saw. The three people that had entered the audience chamber were his companions that he was traveling with. **"What? Guys, what are you doing here? I thought you all left already"**he asked them. He didn't expect them to be in the castle.

Among the small group, there was a young girl who was a healer around Tsuki's age, a man who appeared to be in his late thirties that had a broadsword and gun for weapons and a young man who was the same age as Tsuki and had steel gauntlets over his fists and plating over his feet. They all matched Tsuki's description that he had given to Zero the other day.

The group walked up to Tsuki and bowed to the royal family. Then, the older male of the group started to speak. **"Thank you for having us, Your Majesty"** the man said to Taichi as he bowed in respect.

Tsuki couldn't figure out what was going on. Why were they here? He looked at his companions then back at the royal family with a confused look on his face. **"What's going on here? Am I missing something?"** he asked.

Emma Tsubasa, the Queen, shook her head. **"We felt that it would be better for us to hear the story from everyone who took part in it. Zero had informed us where your companions were staying so we had him summon them to the castle"** she told him. She looked at the group he had traveled with and examined each of them closely. **"So, now that we have everybody gathered, tell us everything that had happened over the past few months that you've been gone"** she said.

The young girl scratched her cheek with her finger in thought. She's never given a report to royalty, let alone meeting royalty in person. **"I'm not sure where to begin. Since this was Tsuki's mission, I think he should explain most of it and we should just chip in bits and pieces whenever we become relevant to the story"** the girl said.

The young male nodded and agreed with what the girl said. **"She's right. None of us met for quite some time so we couldn't give a full report. We'll just leave all the main stuff to Tsuki and we'll add our parts"** he said. He then looked over to Tsuki and waited for him to start.

Tsuki looked at his companions and nodded. He then took a deep breath. He had a lot of explaining to do and it was going to take quite some time but since he had his companions with him, it shouldn't be too bad. **"Alright then. Well, it all started when I arrived in the neighboring village of Crescentia..."** he said as he started to finally begin his debriefing.

Time jumps back three months to the start of Tsuki's long journey. He has left Eresseas and after two days of travel and fighting off wild monsters, he reached a small village in the middle of a giant grassy plain. That village was called Crescentia, his first stop on his mission out of plenty more to come. Tsuki walked into the gates of Crescentia and people knew right away who he was due to his armor. He received a warm welcome from the villagers. Everyone in the village admired the royal family and their knights. After a few minutes of being in the village, the mayor had invited him to her house. Once he arrived at her house, they started to talk about several things such as why was there.

The mayor made some tea and poured some in a cup and walked over to the table Tsuki was sitting next to. She then sat down in a chair across from him. **"We don't get many visits from the royal family or her knights here in Crescentia. To what do we owe this visit?"** she asked him.

Tsuki picked up the cup of tea and took a sip of it. It tasted a bit sweet but it was good regardless. He then looked at the mayor when she asked him a question. **"I've been sent to oversee a government matter in Basilwell. I came to this village to rest for a bit before I head out again since there are no villages between here and the Cavern of Solace"** he said. It was a long walk. He's been on the road for two days now and he's had to pitch a tent to sleep in. It would be nice to sleep in a bed.

The mayor listened to Tsuki as he explained his reasoning for stopping in Basilwell. **"I see. Well, this is a small village so we don't have the accommodations you're used to in the palace but please make yourself at home"** she said. She wanted to make his stay as pleasant as possible.

Tsuki shook his head. **Don't worry about the accommodations. A simple bed is all the accommodation I need. I don't want to overstay my welcome" **he said.

Just then, the front door was thrown open. A young girl then ran into the house and up to the mayor. She seemed to be in a hurry. She was around Tsuki's age too. **"Mayor, those thugs are back! They're harassing people in the square!"** the girl shouted.

The mayor sighed heavily and then stood up. She had a serious look on her face. **"Not again. I'll go talk to them. Please excuse me"** she said. Then, she ran out of the house and headed in the direction to where the thugs were.

The girl then looked at Tsuki after the mayor ran out and recognized his armor. **"You have to help us! These thugs have been coming here, demanding for food and money which is something we can't afford to give them anymore with the impending winter season! They've been threatening to kill everyone in the village if we don't meet their demands! If the mayor were to tell them we can't offer them anything anymore, I don't know what will happen!"** she said. She was in a panic. She knows what the thugs would do to their mayor when she tells them they can no longer give them what they want. She then turned around and headed back to the square in a hurry.

Tsuki nodded and followed the girl. As a knight, he has a duty to not only protect the royal family but civilians as well. When he reached the square, he saw the villagers crowded around a fountain. He made his way through the crowd and saw four thugs with swords drawn. The mayor appeared to have been shoved to the ground. He then took a look at the thugs. Something about them was familiar but he couldn't put his finger on it. **"Those thugs...I've seen them before"** he said to himself.

One of the thugs who appeared to be the leader due to his vulgar and violent look, walked up to the knocked down mayor. **"I don't care about your winter problems. You're not in a position to make demands. You farmer-folk are so full of yourselves. The weak are suppose to obey the strong. That's how life works. If you're not going to cooperate with the Dark Wings, we'll just have to kill everyone starting with the mayor"** the leader said. He then started to lift his sword to strike her down.

Before the thug leader had a chance to swing, Tsuki took the hilt of his sword that was strapped to his waist and lunged out of the crowd. In a swift motion, he drew his sword partial way and slammed the hilt of his sword into the leader's stomach. He then stepped back a bit with his hand still holding the hilt of his sword.

The leader groaned in pain and fell to his knees as he saw the mayor struggle to her feet with the townspeople helping her up and getting her away from the thugs. He then looked up at Tsuki, holding onto his stomach with a bit of blood coming from his mouth. **"You little runt! How dare you!"** the leader shouted. He struggled to get up on his feet and faced Tsuki. **"Do you have any idea who you're messing with, kid?** he asked him.

Tsuki gave him a cold look. **"It's funny how thugs like yourself think they have the authority to demand for food and money. Well, let me tell you one thing: it's not going to happen anymore. I'm going to make sure of that right now since this seems to be an ongoing problem for the village. I suggest you leave now and never return. If you don't, I won't hesitate to kill you"** he told them.

The leader grew irritated of Tsuki. He then pointed his sword at him. **"Runt, I'd watch what you say. You don't want to make an enemy of of the Dark Wings. I'd suggest running along now and play knight somewhere else and let adults handle their own business"** he said, almost mocking him. He then turned and started to walk in the direction the mayor went.

Tsuki shook his head. He clearly didn't know who he was dealing with. **"I gave you a chance to leave peacefully. Allow me to clarify the position you all are in right now"** he said, taking his sword off his belt with it still sheathed. He then swung the sheathed sword with incredible speed and power and slammed it against the leader's back, causing the leader to fall forward. **"By the laws of Eresseas, you are all under arrest. I suggest not resisting if you don't want to get hurt even more"** he ordered the thugs.

Another one of the thugs on the far left finally noticed the armor Tsuki was wearing. **"Hey boss! Don't you recognize him? He's one of the Royal Eight that serves directly under the royal family!" **the man shouted to the leader. He looked quite terrified when he had realized who Tsuki really was.

The thug leader groaned in pain as he struggled back onto his feet before looking over at the thug that spoke. He knew of the kind of reputation the Royal Eight have around Cayhill. Their reputation even expands out to some of the other nations as well. Still, after examining Tsuki once more, he didn't believe he was actually one of them. **"Ha! He's just a wannabe! A pipsqueak like him could never be a guard of anything especially a royal guard. I've had enough of this runt. Kill him!"** the leader ordered.

The three thugs looked at each other with a worried, unsure expression on their faces. It didn't sit right with them because they knew that they were no match for one of the Royal Eight. However, they couldn't disobey the leader. They then charged at Tsuki with swords drawn. For Dark Wing thugs, who were known to have people enlisted in their ranks with skills and abilities that can cause trouble even for Eresseas knights, they had a poor combat sense.

Tsuki sighed and stood still, letting them get close to him. When they got within arms reach, the thugs swung at him. Due to their poor combat sense, Tsuki could easily dodge the attacks by simply side-stepping. In retaliation, he made swift swings with his sheathed sword, slamming it against their backs hard enough to incapacitate them. After the three bodies dropped to the ground, he turned and faced the leader once more. **"I thought the Dark Wings were an elite group of thieves, outcasts and assassins. I never would of guessed that recruitment standards were so low"** he said mockingly.

The leader grew more agitated. It gritted his teeth in anger. You could almost see the veins bulge out. Tsuki was taunting him. It was an embarrassment that the Dark Wings were being beaten by some kid who thinks he's actually one of the Royal Eight. Of course, he still never realizes he's one of them even after seeing his fighting style. The leader clenched his fist tightly as he gripped the hilt of his sword just as tight.**"You...little...runt! You're in way over your head!"** he shouted. He then charged at him just like the thugs but in a blind rage. He had more of a combat sense than the average thug but because he was in such a blind rage, his combat sense was just as poor as the thugs. Once he was in arm's length, he swung at Tsuki in a fast motion.

Tsuki drew his sword and blocked his swing. He then used his sheath and slammed it against his side with incredible speed and power. The hit was so great that it made the leader lose balance and concentration. Tsuki then spun his body around, dragging his feet along the ground swept the leader off his feet by knocking his feet out from under him, causing him to fall to the ground.

The leader groaned in pain as he was knocked down to the ground. There was added pain since his sheath was made out of iron. **"Agh! How...dare you!"** he shouted, coughing up blood. He basically had the wind knocked out of him.

Tsuki struck his sword into the ground as he looked over to the thug with his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. He wasn't amused at all. In fact, this was a huge waste of time. **"Had enough yet? You're only making it harder for yourself the longer you stay. I'll say this one more time. Leave and never return"** he told him. He didn't want to resort to killing him. He doesn't like to kill people unless the situation was necessary.

The leader struggled to his feet and gave Tsuki a nasty glare. He then walked over to the thugs who were out cold and tossed their bodies in a wooden cart. After that, he walked towards the village exit, pulling the cart but looked back before leaving. **"You'll pay for interfering with the Dark Wings. Just you wait"** he mumbled to himself. He eventually left the village with his lackeys.

Once they left from sight, the villages cheered and thanked Tsuki. If he wasn't there, the mayor could of been killed. Then, the girl who told him about the thugs approached him. **"Wow, you're strong. I guess the rumors are true; the Royal Eight that serve under the royal family are quite strong"** she said.

Tsuki sheathed his sword and placed it back onto his belt as he looked at the girl and scratched his cheek with his finger. **"It's all a part of my job. I have a duty to carry out to protect the weak and innocent. I couldn't just ignore some thugs that were terrorizing the village"** he said in response. His primary duty is to serve the royal family while his secondary duty is to uphold the peace.

The girl examined Tsuki a bit since she didn't get the chance to do it before with everything that just happened and thought for a moment. Something struck her about his fighting style. **"Why didn't you kill him? He did attack you and almost killed our mayor, after all"** she asked. She was curious to why he didn't use lethal force.

Tsuki shrugged at her question. **"Personally, I try not to kill other human beings unless I have to or when a situation calls for it. I know that seems kind of like contradiction with my job being a knight sworn to protect the royal family and all"** he answered. He didn't like senseless bloodshed. He tries not to use excessive force when the situation doesn't call for it.

The girl nodded at his answer. Despite being a knight who's constantly thrown onto the battlefield, she could understand where he's coming from but still thought it was a bit weird given his position as a knight. In the midst of all the excitement, she forgot to introduce herself to him. **"Oh, I almost forgot. My name is Lynette Suzaki but you can call me Lyn for short"** she said. She then held out her hand, offering a handshake.

Tsuki looked at her hand and back up at her face. He nodded and took her hand and shook it. **"I'm Tsuki Himura. Nice to meet you, Lyn"** he said. When he shook her hand, he felt a strange power coming from her. He could feel a strong sense of magic coming from her. Apparently, she was some type of magic user.

Soon, the mayor walked through the crowd once more and approached Tsuki. She had a few bruises on her arms and a deep scratch on her face but nothing life-threatening. She then bowed to him. **Thank you for coming to aid us, Mr. Himura. If you'd like to continue our talk, come by my house later. For now..."** she said, looking over at Lynette. **"Lyn, be a dear and show Mr. Himura around the village, would you? It's the least we can do for his help"** she said.

Lynette looked at the mayor and nodded. **"Yes ma'am"** she said. She didn't mind giving him a little tour. After all, he just saved the mayor's life and possibly everyone else since the impending winter season was coming. Winters in the village can be quite harsh at times. The village was small with a population as little as one hundred, so there wasn't much to see besides huts and farmland.

The mayor nodded and looked back at Tsuki. **"I'll see you two later then. Feel free to stop by whenever you want. For helping us out, I'll have the inn prepare a room for you with no charge"** she said. Then, she walked past them and through the crowd and headed back to her house.

Lynette walked forward a bit then turned her head to Tsuki. The crowd started to disperse as well once everything had calmed down a bit. **"I know this is a bit late but welcome to the countryside, I suppose"** she welcomed him. She turned her head back around and started to walk up a small pathway that led further into the village.

Tsuki chuckled a bit. He wasn't a stranger to the countryside since he had previously lived in the countryside before moving to Eresseas. His experience in the countryside wasn't exactly a good one, however. **"The countryside, huh?"** he mumbled to himself. He followed Lynette as she showed him everything around the village.

Tsuki and Lynette walked around every inch of the village. They looked at the huts that ranged from small to large and a pretty big farmland. The village seems to rely on old technology of agriculture. There wasn't a hint of anything high tech compared to most places in the world. Tsuki lived in a countryside village like this when he was about five years old but something extremely tragic happened that changed his entire life. No one, not even the royal family know of it. That includes Cheria. They may not keep secrets from each other but this secret is much too tragic and sensitive to him that it's the only secret he keeps from her. All that's known is that there was a village very similar to Crescentia that was wiped off the face of the earth with all it's villagers either dead or missing as well. Many believe it was a well thought-out plan by the Dark Wings since they were in conflict with this particular village for ages. No one has been reported alive from the attack. No one even knew that Tsuki could be the only survivor from this tragic event. It's a very deep, emotional scar that he never mentions. He lost his entire family and a friend he cared for very deeply. He's all but forgotten it to avoid risks of flashbacks but sometimes, he just can't help but remember back. Sometimes, it's caused him nightmares of the same thing happening to Eresseas. He just shakes it off and keeps it to himself. When the tour was done, they ended back up in the plaza. The sun was beginning to set.

Tsuki sat in a bench and sighed heavily. **"Whew...for a small village, there's a lot to see here. I haven't been back in the countryside in a very long time. It brings back memories"** he said. Being in a village that closely resembles his old village, he couldn't help but think back at his village.

Lynette sat down next to him and laid her head back on the bench. **"Yeah, we may live small lives but we got a lot going on. When it comes to the average thief though, it's a little too much excitement for us though"** she said. She fell silent for a bit before looking at Tsuki to ask a question. **"Say, I'm curious. What was your childhood like? You seemed accustomed to this kind of lifestyle. Did you used to live in the countryside?"** she asked. She wanted to know a little bit more about him.

Tsuki went silent at her question about his childhood. He didn't answer her for a few moments. He tried to think of what to tell her. **"I don't remember my childhood, but yes, I used to live in the countryside though"** he said. He obviously lied about his past. He doesn't like to lie or make up stories but it was for personal reasons. He didn't want people to know of his past. It's a past that no one should have to ever experience in their lifetime. **"All I remember is being put in a foster home in Eresseas and then becoming close to Princess Cheria when I was a kid which eventually led to me serving under the royal family"** he said. Another lie as he was never in a foster home. How he got there was something he kept to himself. His village was no where near Eresseas so until he speaks about his past, it'll remain a mystery on how he arrived in Eresseas.

Lynette could tell when someone was lying. She knew that his explanation was a lie. She could tell that it was a past that had a lot of pain in it. Seeing this, she realized that she had asked a rather tough question for him to answer. She felt bad for having to ask. She knew he was lying for a reason but decided not to say anything about it until he's ready to talk about it. **"I-I'm sorry. It seems I asked you a difficult question"** she said, looking down at the ground.

Tsuki looked at her and patted her head gently. He knew that she didn't mean it. Then again, it's what he gets for hiding his past from everyone. He knew that people would ask such questions.**"Don't be. I'm used to it. You should head on home. It's getting late"** he said, looking up at the darkening skies.

Lynette looked up at him and nodded. **"You're right. I better head home. I'll see you tomorrow, then?"** she asked, standing up and stretching. There was still so much more she wanted to talk to Tsuki about. She wondered how long he would be staying in the village.

Tsuki nodded and stood up with her. **"Yeah. I'll finish what I was telling the mayor before I was interrupted and I'll be on my way again. I want to get this mission wrapped up so I could return to Eresseas"** he said. He didn't want to stay away from Eresseas for a long period of time. He knew that Cheria would have panic attacks from her constant worry about him being away.

Lynette nodded. **"We'll have to make sure to send you off in style then. Goodnight, Tsuki. Wait for me by the gate so I can see you off, okay?"** she asked. She didn't want him leaving without saying goodbye. She waved at him one last time then walked off in the direction of her house.

Tsuki nodded and waved back at her. He then headed towards the inn to rest of the night. Once he entered the inn, he was told that his room was already paid for. He walked into one of the rooms and closed the door behind him as he entered. He took his sword off his waist and set it up against the bedside dresser. He then walked over to the window and looked out it in thought. He then had a very brief flashback that showed a village in flames with blood and corpses everywhere. His flashbacks ended with a brief image of the faces of two young girls. He shook his head, not wanting to remember anymore of his past. He held his hand over his face for a moment. **"I know you're out there somewhere. I just know it"** he mumbled to himself, referring to the images of the two girls. Who were these mysterious girls? He soon walked over to the bed and crawled into it. After staring at the ceiling for a few minutes, he slowly fell asleep for the night.

**To be continued...**


	4. Chapter 3: Moonlight Flower

**Tales of Xalthia**

**Chapter 3: Moonlight Flower**

**I**t was early in the morning when Tsuki had walked out of the inn. The sun was just starting to rise and everyone was either still asleep or were just getting ready to begin their daily activities. It was also time for Tsuki to continue on his mission to Basilwell. If everything goes well, he should be reach the Cavern of Solace, which is the only way into Basilwell since the town is cut off from the mainland due to an impassable mountainous terrain, by the next day. As promised, he finished discussing things with the mayor and sorted out any last minute business he needed to clear up. He had been waiting at the village gates for about fifteen minutes, waiting for Lynette to show up. She told him that she wanted to send him off in style and see him off the night before. It wouldn't of been right if he were to leave before she came to see him off. Eventually, he saw someone walk up to the gates; it was Lynette. However, something appeared to be very wrong with her. Tsuki could tell right away when he noticed her stumble a bit as she approached him.

Lynette felt incredibly weak. It was almost as if she had no strength in her muscles. She could barely walk in a straight line. At first glance, he would appear that she is drunk but that wasn't the case. She stumbled over to Tsuki and used one of the fences by the gates to hold herself up. **"H-hey...sorry that...I'm la-late..."** she said very weakly.

Tsuki ran up to her, knowing there was something wrong with her. She wasn't feeling well and it was very obvious. **"Lyn, you look awful! You should be in bed if you have a fever!"** he sad in a concerning tone. He didn't understand it. She was so healthy and cheerful the day before. Now, she looks like she's been sick in bed for a week. What kind of flu changes one's health so drastically in such a short period of time?

Lynette slowly shook her head. She could feel her remaining strength fading away quickly. **"I can't...just stay in bed. I have a promise...to keep..."** she struggled to say. She was so weak that she could barely speak now. Eventually, her strength gave out on her completely and caused her to collapse. She had blacked out from lack of strength.

Tsuki grabbed onto her before she hit the ground. There was something very wrong here. It didn't appear to be a simple fever. **"Hey! Lyn!"** he shouted. She was out cold and unable to respond. He brushed the hair out of her face and placed his forehead against hers to see how bad of a fever she has. She was burning up badly probably because she forced herself out of bed to see him off. **"Damn, this isn't good!"** he said. He then picked her up in a princess cradle and rushed to the mayor's house. He then rushed over to the mayor's house since that was the only place he had in mind to go to. Once he was there, he busted through the door in a sense of panic. **"Mayor, we got a problem!"** he shouted.

The mayor jumped, spilling the tea she was pouring when Tsuki had suddenly busted through her front door. **"Oh geez! You startled me! What's going on? I thought you were headed to Basilwell"** she said as she turned around to face him. When she turned around, she saw that Lynette was out cold in his arms. **"Oh no! Lyn, what happened!?"** she shouted in a worried tone.

Tsuki shook his head, not knowing what to say. He wasn't sure why she had passed out suddenly nor the reason on why she appeared to be so sick. **"I'm not sure. She suddenly collapsed at the gate. I think she has some kind of fever"** he told her. He walked over to one of the mayor's spare rooms and set her down in one of the beds.

The mayor handed him two washcloths, one dry and one wet, and headed to the door. **"Clean her up and make sure she appears comfortable. I trust you know how to handle a cold. I'll go get the doctor!"** she instructed him. She then left through the front door and headed into the village.

Tsuki nodded as the mayor left in a hurry. He then used the dry washcloth to wipe the sweat off her face then placed the wet washcloth on her forehead. He then lifted her up a bit so he could pull the bed sheet over her. He appeared to be very worried about her. **"You're going to be okay. We'll fix this, don't worry"** he whispered to her. She seemed to be in pain but that's expected given her current condition. All he could do now was wait for the doctor. After several minutes of silence, he heard the front door open.

The mayor had brought back an older woman who was in a doctor's robe. The doctor walked into the room Tsuki and Lynette were in. She then approached Lynette and did a thorough check-up on her. After several minutes of silence, she finished the check-up and sighed heavily. She had a strange look on her face. **"It's as I thought. It's the Winchester Disease"** she diagnosed.

Tsuki tilted his head in a sense of confusion. He wasn't an expert in modern medicine or illnesses so he had no idea what she was talking about. **"Winchester Disease? What's that?"** he asked her.

The doctor nodded at him. **"Yes. It's a rare disease that plagues these plains. We're not sure where it originates from or how it spreads but it is highly contagious. It's more commonly found in deep caverns or the mountains. If I had to guess, she must of gotten it from those thugs the other day. Its effects aren't made apparent until 12 hours have passed since it's first contracted"** she explained. She feared that it was the Winchester Disease.

Tsuki folded his arms in thought. **"What are the effects? Surely, if it's labeled as a disease, there must be some effects that occur to the person afflicted by it"** he said. It's no wonder he hasn't heard of it. From what she said, it's mostly common in this area since there are no caverns or mountains near Eresseas.

The doctor looked at him then at Lynette, who appeared to be sweating more and breathing heavily. She looked like she was experiencing some pain as well. **"There are three stages to this disease. The first stage gives flu-like symptoms like coughing and wheezing. The second stage causes kidneys to start failing. The final stage is death due to heart failure and lung collapse. Its a slow killing disease that kills a person within three days but it is treatable"** she said with a sign of hope.

Tsuki walked up closer to the doctor, appearing very anxious. **"How do you treat it then? There's got to be a cure or something out there" **he said. He had to know. He can't just leave the village while knowing that Lynette's life is now in danger.

The doctor reached into her bag and took out a book. She opened it to a specific page and handed it to him. The page had a picture of a light blue flower that appeared to be sparkling. **"We need a rare flower called the Moonlight Flower. It's a special flower that once bathed in the moonlight of a full moon, it has advanced healing abilities that can cure some of the life-threatening diseases. The flower can be found only on the cliffs of Celestial Hills. Normally, we'd have the cure ready to use now but since those Dark Wing thugs came, they took all our medicine."** she explained further.

Then, the mayor decided to chime in on the conversation. **"Luckily, tonight is going to be a full moon. All we need to do is retrieve the flower and we can save her. We were going to send people out to retrieve them later on so that we can restock the supplies we've lost so this happened at a good time"** she said.

Tsuki fell into thought for a few moments. **"I'll go retrieve the flower. From what I've gathered from my stay here, there aren't that many town guards and it appears no one has real combat experience. They'll be going in a monster-infested area which would be a suicide mission. I'll find that flower for you. "** he said. He didn't want civilians to go out to their deaths. They would be lucky to return alive if they went.

The mayor looked over to Tsuki. She wasn't surprised that he offered to help. He was a knight, after all. It was his duty to protect the innocent. **"Are you sure? Celestial Hills is, as you say, monster-infested. You could get hurt or killed in the process"** she said. Honestly, she wasn't worried about him one bit. From the way he handled the thugs, he wouldn't be taken down by monsters easily.

Tsuki nodded. He wasn't going to let monsters stand in his way. He has to save Lynette, no matter what the cost is. **"I know my way around a fight. That little display with those thugs should of shown it. I'll be fine. After all, it is my duty to help those in need"** he said.

The doctor started to set up her medical supplies to produce the medicine for the disease when Tsuki returns to the village. **"You better get a move on then. Right now, she's only in the first stage of the disease which is flu-like symptoms so you have plenty of time to get there and back here but the sooner you return with the flower, the better things will be. One flower can produce enough medicine to last us for quite some time. Celestial Hills lie east of the village. Just follow the dirt road and you should get there in a matter of hours"** she instructed him. If only she could make some type of medicine to at least slow down it's effects.

Tsuki nodded and rushed out of the mayor's house. He wasted no time; he left the village in a hurry and headed east. It would take him about three hours to reach Celestial Hills. He not only had reach Celestial Hills, but he also had to find his way to the cliffs by nightfall. The sooner he returns to the village, the better.

After about three hours, he finally reached Celestial Hills. He wasted no time so he decided to go in. **"Hang on, Lyn. I'll find that flower for you"** he told himself. He then rushed into the monster nest of Celestial Hills. He couldn't afford to take a break, even a small one.

He fought off quite a number of monsters that ranged from Mandragora, which are human-like plant monsters to mutated bears known as Eggbears. By the time he reached the cliffs, three more hours had passed. It was still sunny outside so now he had to wait for nightfall. After all, it was still very early on during the day. He was going to be there for a while. He knows that being in a monster nest at night is dangerous even for seasoned fighters. The strongest monsters come out at night. He had to stand his ground on the cliffs until he got the Moonlight Flower, however.

After a wait that seemed to last forever, it was finally nightfall. The full moon was out as expected but was blocked by the clouds. He would have to wait until the clouds unblock the moon so the flower could absorb the moonlight. As he waited for the clouds to move, some of the more vicious monsters came out of hiding. He could hear them coming from the tree lines. It appears that they didn't come out into the opening however. He thought he was in the clear until a Rhino-like monster appeared out of the tree line. It appeared to be stronger than the normal monsters around the area so it must be the boss of the other monsters.

Tsuki turned around and saw the monster come out of the trees and get in a charging position. He was going to have to fight it. He then drew his sword and got into an attack stance. **"Well, look who came out to play. Let's get this over with"** he said. He took a look over at the flower, which was on the very edge of the cliff. He could see the light from the moon start to have an effect on the flower as the clouds that were blocking it had moved. **"Just a little longer. I guess I'll play with this monster in the meantime"** he said. He then put his attention back onto the monster, who was already charging at him.

The monster used it's piercing horn that looked like it could pierce a tree as it's first attack. Tsuki dodged the attack then swung his sword at the monster, cutting off it's horn so he wouldn't have to worry about getting pierced by it. The monster howled in pain as it backed up a bit. It shook it's head, appearing to grow more agitated than it already was. It then suddenly charged again at him but with a faster pace. He could feel some type of aura coming off the monster. When it was several meters away from him, the monster then rolled into a ball and continued rolling towards him. The direction the monster was rolling in was towards him and the flower so he had to change it's path so the monster wouldn't crush the flower. He then charged at him and jumped high up into the air. Before he had jumped, there was a slight spark beneath his feet. It appeared that he was using some type of magic of some sort to help him jump high. He then dived down at the monster, spun his body around then brought the heel of his right foot down on monster, putting a stop to it's rolling. The monster appeared to be disoriented. Once he was back on the ground, he took his sword and charged at it once more and delivered one final strike. He struck the monster in it's chest and then watched it fall to the ground. The fight only took several minutes so it was no big for him. It was a good workout for him though.

After the fight, Tsuki noticed that he had a few scratches from the monster but there wasn't anything too damaging to his body. He swung his sword to get the blood off the blade then sheathed it back onto his waist. He took a moment to catch his breath since he was already tired from his long trip before. He had to make sure there were no more surprises that would pop out at him. Once he was sure that nothing else would jump out, he turned around and walked over to the Moonlight Flower that appeared to be sparkling. He took out the small container given to him by the doctor. He carefully picked the flower and placed it into the container and sealed it so the absorbed energy wouldn't escape. He placed it back in his bag then made his way back to the entrance. Since he knew the way back, it saved him the headache of getting lost again like before but it still took him three hours to return to the entrance. As he found the entrance and was about to leave Celestial Hills, he was interrupted by someone who wasn't there before.

A middle-aged man was sitting in a tree as Tsuki walked under it as he walked out of the thick woods of Celestial Hills. He then start clapping slowly. **"Well, that was some performance at the cliffs. It's just like I would expect from one of the Royal Eight"** he said in a calm but deep tone.

Tsuki stopped and looked around to see where the voice came from. Since it was dark out, he could barely see. He then looked up in one of the trees and saw the man sitting above him. He gave him a long glare. **"Who are you? What are you doing here?"** he asked the man, gripping the hilt of his sword.

The man was wearing a black cloak with leather armor. He had a strange-looking bow attached to his back with a quiver of arrows. He appeared to be a hunter at first glance. When he noticed Tsuki reaching for his sword, he held both his hands up. **"Now now, no need to jump the gun and attack an innocent hunter. I could ask you the same question, boy"** the man said.

Tsuki kept his eye on the man. He wasn't sure if the man was indeed just an innocent hunter or someone pretending to be a hunter for a reason. Either way, he didn't like it. **"Surely, as a hunter, you know how dangerous it is to be out where monsters roam at night, right?"** he asked the man.

The man shrugged. **"Oh, I know. Hunting is at it's prime during the night. After all, that's when all the more valuable monsters come out to play. The more vicious the monster is, the more benefits I can get from it. Again, I could ask you the same question. What brings a royal knight of your caliber all the way out here to Celestial Hills at night? Surely, it wasn't for the cliffside view"** he questioned him.

Tsuki still couldn't tell if he really who he say he was. His tone of voice suggests he was just out hunting but there was something about him that felt odd. He couldn't place his finger on it. **"I'm here to retrieve the Moonlight Flower for someone who fell ill in a village nearby"** he told him.

The man stroked his beard. **"Ah, I see. That nearby village would be Crescentia, I assume. Let me guess, the Winchester Disease?"** he asked him. There would be no other reason why someone would need the Moonlight Flower in this area. The Winchester Disease is the only known disease to be in this area of Cayhill.

Tsuki was a bit surprised that he had guessed right. Then again, he wasn't sure how well-known the disease was in this area so he wasn't too surprised about it. Maybe everyone knew about it and this was something that happens more often than people think. **"That's right...a friend caught the disease when some thugs came into the village"** he said.

The man jumped off the tree branch and landed a few feet away from Tsuki. He then looked over at him. **"I should of known. These hills get visitors from that village often for the same thing. Not many use the old traditional methods of healing anymore these days though. People mainly use their highly developed skills in medical Artes or Blastia to cure diseases now"**the man said. He then paced back and forth for a bit before approaching him. **"I'm quite curious as to why a knight such as yourself is using such old traditions when you could use a military-grade Booster or Blastia to cure the disease though"** the man said.

Boosters and Blastia were common use for medicinal qualities as well as combat. When the hunter brought up Boosters and Blastia, Tsuki shook his head. **"I don't carry such things on me. The Royal Eight don't rely on such crude methods of medicine and combat"** he told him. He never agreed to the use of Blastia or Boosters. Even though Blastia is supposedly safer to use than Boosters, there were still negative effects that occur.

The man crossed his arms and held his hand to his chin. It was interesting to hear something like that from a knight. **"I see...by the way, the name is Setzu Tsubaki. As I said, I'm just a random hunter out for some extra money"** the man said as he finally introduced himself.

Tsuki listened to him as he introduced himself. **"You already know what my occupation is. My name is Tsuki Himura. Nice to meet you"** he said. He no longer felt the need to be wary of the man. He seemed to be normal. **"Listen, I hate to be rude but I need to go. As you know, I'm kind of in a hurry"** he said.

Setzu raised an eyebrow at him. **"Oh? I'll tag along with you then. The roads can be quite dangerous at night, even for someone such as yourself"** he said. He wanted to learn a little bit more about him. He was interested in him and his fighting style back at the cliffs made him more interesting to know about.

Tsuki sensed a bit of alarm. Why would a hunter, who knew very well that he could handle himself in a fight, want to accompany him to Crescentia? He even said that he was here at Celestial Hills to hunt for some vicious monsters. Setzu was hard to figure out. He didn't know if he was being sincere or had ulterior motives behind his offer. After a few moments, he agreed to his offer.**"Alright. Thanks for the help"** he said. If he was plotting something, he wanted to be sure that he didn't seem to be suspicious about him.

Setzu appeared to be grateful for accepting his offer. **"Why, you're welcome. Shall we get a move on then? I'm sure you don't want to waste anymore time than what is necessary"** he said. He could tell that he was restless. Spending anymore time chatting at Celestial Hills wasn't going to do him any good.

Tsuki nodded. **"Yes. We need to hurry. If we don't get anymore interruptions, we should make it back to Crescentia with two hours to spare"** he told him. Any more time wasted would put him in tight situation.

Setzu looked into the direction Crescentia was in. After a few moments, he looked back at him.**"Well, let's get going then. We better not keep the person waiting any longer"** he said. He then started to head up the dirt road towards Crescentia. Since he was a hunter, he was familiar with this area so he knows where all the towns and prime hunting spots were.

Tsuki watched as the man took off down the road and soon followed after him. just like his trip to Celestial Hills, the return trip took just as long as it did to reach Celestial Hills. When they got back, they saw that the villagers were crowding the mayor's house. They could hear shouts asking about Lynette's condition. It would appear that everyone in town has heard what has happened. Then again, it's a small village so word travels fast. From the responses the doctor was giving, it seems that her condition hasn't improved which means that she's still breathing.

Tsuki left Setzu standing at the gates and ran up to the crowd of people. Once he pushed through the crowd, he took out the preserved flower that was in the container. **"Doctor, I brought the flower!"** he shouted. He stopped in front of her and handed the doctor the flower.

The doctor looked through the crowd and saw Tsuki. Her attention then went to the flower that he took out of his bag. She took a moment to examine to make sure he brought the right one back.**"This is it! I'll administer the medicine immediately!"** she said. She took the flower from him then walked back into the mayor's house. She was gone for quite some time. The crowd was silent the whole time she was gone. Everyone was waiting in anticipation. After thirty minutes had passed, she eventually came back out with a relieved look on her face. **"The medicine worked. She's passed the critical stage and is now in stable condition. All she needs now is rest and she'll make a full recovery" **she said. She felt as if she could breathe again. She had been waiting anxiously for Tsuki to return with the Moonlight Flower since the medicine they had wasn't working.

The crowd cheered with relief from the good news. Lynette was very important to the villagers. Like every small village like this, everyone in it is like a close family. They all look out for each other and support one another in the toughest of circumstances. They gave the doctor and Tsuki their gratitude for all their hard work. This was the second time Tsuki has saved the day. He saved the mayor from the Dark Wings and then saved Lynette from the Winchester Disease. After a while, the crowd eventually started to split off. With Lynette safely out of danger, Tsuki could finally relax. He looked back at the entrance where he had left Setzu but he was gone. He looked around to see if he was in the village but he couldn't find him. Just like that, he was gone. In the end, Tsuki never found out what his real intentions were. All he knew was that there was a reason Setzu had approached him and offered to take him back to Crescentia. What that reason was is still a mystery.

**To be continued...**


	5. Chapter 4: The Next Destination

**Tales of Xalthia**

**Chapter 4: The Next Destination**

**T**wenty-four hours have passed since Tsuki returned to Crescentia with the Moonlight Flower and saving Lynette's life from the Winchester Disease. As he remained in the village, waiting for Lynette to awake from recovery, he's been going around the village and helping the villagers with various tasks. The tasks he's done were monster exterminating, resource gathering from the plains outside of the village and deliveries. Apparently, there was something going to happen later on in the evening but he wasn't sure what. He assumed it was a celebration of some kind due to people building and setting up stalls around the village. He hasn't made any progress in his mission and won't until he sees that Lynette is able to take care of herself. He would never abandon his mission but when he sees that people in trouble, he'll put them first before his mission as his duty to protect the people of Cayhill. He's at full leisure as well because the royal family instructed Basilwell authorities that it would take a few days to get there with an unspecified time of arrival so matters in Basilwell are at a standstill until he gets there. If everything goes well and he's able to leave in the morning, he should be at the Cavern of Solace in no time.

The next day, Tsuki had finished with all the tasks that were available. It was exhausting but rewarding work. As a knight, he didn't expect any kind of reward. Just helping those in need was rewarding enough. As he finished with the last villager's request, he was informed that Lynette was finally awake. Knowing this, he immediately headed over to the mayor's house to check up on her condition.

When Tsuki walked into the mayor's house, he headed into the guest bedroom where Lynette was resting in. He opened the door and saw that she was sitting up in bed with the doctor checking up on her. She looked a lot better than before. The color had returned to her face and it looked like she had her energy back. It was amazing seeing such a huge improvement in her health from a simple flower. He walked over to the bed and sat down in a chair next to it. **"Hey, how you holding up?"** he asked with concern.

Lynette didn't know that Tsuki was the one that had saved her. The mayor and doctor had to explain everything that happened while she was in recovery. She looked at Tsuki with a solemn expression. She was extremely grateful that he had saved her but she felt also felt bad for making Tsuki put aside his mission to save her. **"Tsuki...yes, I'm fine. Thank you for saving me. I'm in your debt for what you did"** she said. She then looked down at the bed sheets. **"I'm sorry for the trouble I caused. I didn't mean to distract you from your mission"** she apologized. She felt like a burden.

Tsuki shook his head. He didn't care that he had pushed his mission aside temporarily. **"Don't be. I couldn't just abandon someone in a time of need and pretend it didn't happen. I'm just glad that you're okay"** he told her. He was relieved to see her well again. Now, he could continue on with his mission without concern.

The mayor looked over to Tsuki and bowed at him. **"Thank you so much for saving Lyn. On behalf of Crescentia, we ask that you stay one more day. It isn't much to repay you for what you did for us, but we're holding our annual festival tonight and everyone would like you to attend for your valiant actions"** she told him. She didn't want to postpone him from his mission any further but she had to try and repay him for everything he's done.

Tsuki thought about it for a minute. He wanted to leave and get on with his mission, but he couldn't turn her down with every single villager backing the mayor up in her request. He shrugged and looked at the mayor. **"Alright, I'll stay one more night. It couldn't hurt, right?"** he said.

The mayor clasped her hands in joy. **"Great! We're still in preparations and thanks to your help around the village, things are going smoothly. It'll be a while longer before we can kick off the festival though"** she said. They still needed to get food prepared, mini-games set up and so forth.

Lynette was thrilled that Tsuki decided to stay one more night. It gives her more time to think of a way to repay him for his efforts to save her. **"I guess I'll just rest up until the festival then"** she said. There wasn't anything else she could do. Her immune system was left weakened due to her ordeal. She still needed a little more rest.

Tsuki nodded at the mayor. **"Alright. I'll go do something to occupy my time then until the festival starts then"** he said. He looked over to Lynette after she said she was going to rest a bit longer. **"That's a good idea. I guess we'll be seeing each other tonight then"** he told her. He then turned around and left the mayor's house.

Over the next few hours, Tsuki decided to train himself out in the fields by fighting against monsters. By the time he returned to the village, it was already dusk. He felt as if he got a bit stronger from all the monsters he had fought in the plains. Upon returning, he saw various kinds of stalls and decorations that were set up all around the village. For a small village, they work fast. Everyone were in formal clothing, specifically Kimonos.

Tsuki walked up to the fountain where the mayor and Lynette were waiting. He saw that they too were dressed up. Lynette also had a staff on her back but he thought it was for ritual use so he didn't question why she had it. As he approached the mayor and Lynette, he waved at them. **"The villagers sure work fast. There was hardly anything set up when I left"** he said.

The mayor chuckled a bit. **"Yeah. We do a lot of festivals so it's almost second nature for us to be quick builders"** she said. She looked around at the different decorations that were put up around the village. This wasn't their biggest festival that they hold annually but it's still impressive work.

Lynette twiddled her thumbs a bit before looking at Tsuki. She looked like as if she wanted to say something. She also appeared to be quite nervous about it too. **"Um...Tsuki, allow me to show you around. This is your last night here, after all"** she said, avoiding her real question. She wasn't sure how to ask her question and wasn't sure if he would agree to it.

The mayor looked at Lynette and smiled at her. She knew what she was going to ask because after Tsuki left her house when she woke up, they continued to talk. That's when Lynette informed her on the plan. She then looked at Tsuki and nodded. **"Go with her, Tsuki. She has something she wants to ask"** she said.

Tsuki looked at Lynette and tilted his head before looking at the mayor. He then nodded at them.**"Alright. That's fine with me"** he said. He was curious to know that Lynette wanted to ask.

The mayor looked at Lynette and then pushed her towards Tsuki. **"Don't be afraid to ask him. We all support you in your decision. I'm sure he'll understand"** she whispered to her. She couldn't stop her even if she wanted to. Whatever choices she makes are her own responsibilities. All she could do was offer support.

Lynette was pushed towards Tsuki by the mayor, She turned her head to her once she whispered something to her and nodded. She then put her focus on Tsuki and pointed towards the festival.**"Let's go then"** she said. She then headed towards the stalls.

Tsuki nodded and followed her into the festival. As he walked through the stalls, he saw different kinds of foods, games and shops. After about thirty minutes went by, he decided that it was time to ask what Lynette wanted to ask. **"So, what did you want to ask me?"** he asked.

Lynette stopped walking and was silent for a moment to gather her thoughts. She took a deep breath before speaking. **"You've done so much for my sake. You risked your life and fought off numerous monsters to help me fight off the Winchester Disease. I would like to repay you, if you would allow me"** she said. She had to think of the right words to say. She didn't want to say the wrong thing.

Tsuki tilted his head. **"What did you have in mind? You don't have to be shy, just say it"** he told her. He didn't want her beating around the bush. Although, he wasn't expecting anything in return for his actions. He couldn't refuse someone if they wanted to repay him though.

Lynette took a deep breath once more. **"I know you're on a mission assigned to you by the royal family, but if you would allow me, I would like to accompany you on your mission"** she said. Tsuki had helped her village with so much and on top of that, he had saved her life. She couldn't let that go very easily.

Tsuki was surprised that she had asked to accompany him. **"Accompany me? Why would you want to do that?"** he asked. He wanted to know why she wanted to go with him. She would be putting herself in more life-threatening situations that are worse than fighting off a disease. He wanted to be sure this was something she really wanted to do.

Lynette looked at him after twiddling her thumbs a bit more. **"Well, you've done so much for us. You also saved my life. I can't repay you with something simple after all of that. I know there will be danger. Besides..."** she said, taking the staff off her back. **"I'm a mage...a healer, to be specific. I may not be able to defend myself in battles but I do know quite a bit of healing spells that could come in handy"** she said. She gave him a determined look afterwards. She showed no signs of hesitation in her request. She wanted him to know that she was being serious.

Tsuki rubbed the back of his head and sighed. After a few moments of thinking, he made a decision. He then looked at her and nodded. **"Well, with an expression like that, I can't really say no since you're determined in your decision. As long as you are aware of the risks, you're welcome to join me"** he told her.

Lynette's eyes sparkled with happiness. She was thrilled and excited that he allowed her to come with him. **"Really? Thank you! I promise, I won't let you down!"** she said with excitement. Part of the reason she wants to go is because she wants to experience the outside world. The rest was because she wants to support Tsuki in his endeavor.

Tsuki smiled a bit after seeing her excitement. Apparently, she really wanted to go with him.**"We're leaving first thing in the morning. Only pack what's needed. Don't weigh yourself down with unnecessary things"** he instructed her. There wasn't any point in packing things that were unnecessary. They would constantly be on the move.

Lynette nodded. **"Got it. I don't have many things anyway. For now, let's enjoy the festival while we still can!"** she said, taking hold of his hand. She then dragged him further into the festive crowds.

Tsuki was pulled along with Lynette as she lured him deeper into the festival. Since this was the last night in the village, he decided to make the best of it. This was also the night before the day that Lynette would be leaving her home for quite a while. He wanted to make sure she enjoys whatever time she has left in her home.

For the remainder of the evening, everyone in the village enjoyed the festival into the late hours. Around midnight, the festival started to die down and everyone started to head home to sleep for the night. The next morning, the villagers were clearing out the festival in the very early hours. Tsuki and Lynette also helped with the clean-up. When it was about noon, most of the stalls had been cleared out. When it hit one in the afternoon, it was time for Tsuki and Lynette to leave. Tsuki and Lynette were standing by the village gate with the villagers seeing them off.

The mayor walked through the crowd up to Tsuki with an old looking piece of paper. She then handed it to him. **"Take this. It's a map of Cayhill. Even though you're a knight, I'm sure there are places you haven't been to. Use it to plot out your routes so you don't end up walking in circles"** she said. It was the very least she could do for him.

Tsuki looked at the paper then at the mayor as he took it from her. He then bowed to her. **"Thank you. I'll make sure to take good care of it. It looks quite old so I''ll be careful"** he said. The map was indeed very old. It was a bit outdated but it had all of the more important landmarks.

The mayor smiled and walked over to Lynette. She reached into her pocket and held out a gold, old-looking necklace. It appeared to be as old as the map. **"Take this with you, my dear. It'll serve you well"** she said. The necklace had an extremely rare, light-blue gem attached to it called Marquis. The nature behind it was a mystery as you could only find Marquis deep underground. All that was known about it was that it unlocks the bearers hidden potential and will protect and guide them whenever they feel lost.

Lynette took the necklace and examined it. She felt power coming from it but it puzzled her. Unlike the mayor, she doesn't know what the necklace was for or what kind of effect it has on the wearer.**"Is there something special about this necklace?"** she asked. She was curious and hoped that the mayor could fill in the blanks.

The mayor patted Lynette on her head. **"That, my dear, is something for you to discover for yourself"** she said. She knew that Lynette wanted to experience new things so she kept what the necklace does to herself. It would ruin the fun if she told her without her discovering it for herself.

Something about the gem struck Tsuki as odd. There was something familiar about it but he couldn't figure it out. He knew what the gem was but there was something different about this one. He shook his head and passed it off as unimportant. He had more important things to think about. **"Okay, our next stop is Basilwell. If we follow the path southwest, we'll reach the Cavern of Solace and then Basilwell"** he said, pointing to the map.

Before they left, the doctor from before approached them. **"Ah, I regret to inform you that access to Basilwell has been cut off and is circulated by the officials of Briswater. Apparently something happened there a few days ago that caused quite a stir among Briswater officials. If you want to get into Basilwell, you're going to have to make a trip to Briswater and speak with the person in charge. Ask for General Maxwell and I'm sure the officials can help you out from there" **she said as she approached them from the crowd.

Tsuki didn't know this bit of information. Why wasn't he informed about this before he left Eresseas? Something must of happened after he had left. It was a good thing the doctor stopped him to tell him this. **"That doesn't sound good. It must of happened after I left Eresseas which would explain why I wasn't informed of this until now. Thanks for the information"** he said.

The doctor nodded at him. **"Don't mention it. Give Maxwell my regards for me, will you?" **she said. She then turned around and started to sink back into the crowd but stopped for a moment as she realized something. She turned her head towards Tsuki once more. **"Ah, that's right. I never introduced myself, did I? My name is Sharon Maxwell. Be sure to tell the good General that he should visit his sister more often as well" **she said. She then sunk back into the crowd.

Tsuki chuckled a bit. **"Will do" **he said. He then looked over at Lynette and nodded at her. **"You ready to go?" **he asked.

Lynette nodded at him. **"Ready when you are" **she said. She then looked at the map and trailed her finger across it. **"Briswater is northeast of here. That means it's in the opposite direction of Basilwell, unfortunately"** she said. It seems that Tsuki is once again thrown off from his mission once again. What else can go wrong?

Tsuki sighed heavily. Briswater is one of his favorite cities because not only is it a city surrounded by a thick forest and it's known for it's river streets, it's also located where the Four Great Spirits put a stop to the War of Mana. Even though a part of him was thrilled to go there, he wanted to get back on his mission. This was already taking up too much time. He should of been in Basilwell by now. **"Yeah...oh well, it can't be helped. We need to do what has to be done if we are going to get into Basilwell. I'll have to send Eresseas an update through carrier pigeon and inform them of what's going on. Maybe they can give me some more information on why Briswater is occupying Basilwell"** he said. He then looked at Lynette. **"Well, let's get a move on then. It'll take a few days to reach Briswater from here"** he informed her.

Lynette put the necklace the mayor gave her around her neck and looked at Tsuki. **"I don't mind. I think we can handle it"** she said. She looked at the villagers and waved at them one last time. **"Goodbye everyone! I hope to see you all again soon!"** she shouted at them.

The mayor smiled at Lynette. **"We look forward for your return. Stay safe, my dear and trust in your abilities"** she said to her. She then looked at Tsuki. **"Please take good care of Lyn for us. Best of luck to you on your journey"** she told him.

Tsuki nodded and looked at the villagers one last time. **"I will. I promise. Thank you for all of your hospitality"** he said to the villagers. He then looked at Lynette. **"Let's get a move on, Lyn. We have a long walk ahead of us"** he said. He turned around and soon walked out into the plains.

Lynette bowed to the villagers and gave them one last smile. **"Keep each other safe during the Winter season. I want a village to return to"** she said. She then turned around and followed Tsuki as they left Crescentia.

Tsuki and Lynette started to head northeast towards Briswater. However, before they can enter Briswater, they'll have to traverse through the incredibly thick and dense forests that surround the city. It would take about three days just to reach the outskirts of the forest. As they walked along the path, two people dressed in strange armor and clothing were watching them from one of the small cliffs. The armor and clothing were colored in black and red and there was a black shield with a red Phoenix in front of it etched and sewn into the armor and clothing.

One of the people that were watching Tsuki and Lynette was a male. He had an appearance of a very skilled swordsman. **"So, that boy is Tsuki Himura, one of the Royal Eight. It appears that his intel was spot-on"** the man said in a tough, deep and menacing tone.

The other person appeared to be a female. She had a more elegant appearance to that of a mage. She looked over to the man and nodded. **"Yes. From what my scouts have gathered, he's been dispatched by the royal family to oversee the events that are soon to be taken place in Basilwell"** she said in a sassy tone. She looked back at Tsuki and Lynette as they were disappearing off into the distance. **"Is it safe to let him roam freely?"** she asked.

The man shook his head. **"Leave the young knight be for now. He isn't a threat to us nor does he know about our plans. For now, we'll keep tabs on him while we continue to operate in the shadows. It's not time for us to reveal ourselves yet"** the man said. He had a dark expression on his face. Clearly, he wasn't a normal fighter.

The female nodded then turned around. **"As you wish"** the female said. She then started to walk back down the hill. She didn't care if they took action against Tsuki. After all, one knight can't stop them.

The man soon followed the female after watching Tsuki and Lynette a bit more. Soon, they had disappeared from sight. Just as fast as they appeared, they disappeared just like that. Just who were the two figures and what plans were they talking about? Only time will tell.

**To be continued...**


	6. Chapter 5: Damsel in Distress

**Tales of Xalthia**

**Chapter 5: Damsel in Distress**

**T**he days progressed fairly quickly as Tsuki and Lynette made their way down the dirt path towards Briswater from Crescentia. It has been two days since they had left Crescentia. If they continued the pace that they were going, they would reach the forest that surrounds Briswater by tomorrow evening. They still had quite a long ways ahead of them though. The sun was starting to go down which meant for them to stop for the night due to the dangers of being out in the wilderness at night. The journey has been fairly easy thanks to Lynette's healing abilities so he doesn't have to stop and patch up wounds every now and then.

Since it was starting to get late, they decided to set up camp for the night. They found a suitable camping spot next to the main road and used something called a Camping Set that was given to them by the villagers before they left. Camping Sets are essential for travelers that are always on the road. Camping Sets not only have enough materials for two different tents, it comes with a unique device that prevents monsters from entering the campsite, although the range on the device is limited to a very short range. As Lynette started to set up the camp, Tsuki took out the device that was in the Camping Set and started to set it up. The device was called a Tether. It is the structure of a weather vane but for a completely different use. Once it's powered by Artes, it generates a barrier that repels monsters from attacking people as they slept. Tsuki was familiar with the device after having to use it multiple times while he was on duty so setting up wasn't a problem. There are two drawbacks to the Tether, however. The range for it's effectiveness is severely limited to about ten meters so because of that, people would have to share tents if there were multiple people. Luckily, the tents are fairly big as they can hold three people at a time. The other drawback is that the Tether has a cooldown timer. The Tether can only remain active for eight hours before it has a cooldown period of another eight hours. Once he finished setting up the device, he went out to collect some wood for a fire. After he was gone for several minutes, he returned with a stack of wood. He set the wood down in front of the tent that Lynette had set up and started a fire as it was starting to get dark. He then went over to the device and activated the Tether and watched as a barrier formed around the campsite. Due to the danger of the wilderness in the evening hours, the Tether is crucial for Camping Sets.

A few hours had passed since they set up the camp and activated the Tether. They've had to go out and collect more wood so the fire wouldn't go out. Besides having to fight off a few monsters walking around while gathering materials, the plains were quiet and peaceful. They enjoyed how quiet it was because they could hear the whistling of the wind and the owls in the forest nearby. It was a good time to bond and get to know each other more to pass the time since this was the first time they got to relax and talk since they left Crescentia.

Lynette was sitting by the fire, trying to warm up. Since it was getting close to the winter months, the temperature was starting to drop to the low 60s in the evening hours. As she was trying to warm up, she noticed that Tsuki was sorting through things in their tent. **"Hey, why don't you take a break and come warm up? I'd like to know more about yourself. With everything that happened before, we didn't really have time to have a real talk"** she said. She really only knew a little bit about his past and what he currently does to make a living.

Tsuki dropped what he was doing and turned his head to her. He could use a chance to relax once in a while. He wasn't sure what to say to her though. **"What would you like to know?"** he asked. There are only a few people he's opened up to. Those people include the royal family and the Royal Eight.

Lynette held a finger to her chin in thought. She had so many questions to ask him but where should she start? **"Like, what are your goals? Your desires? Stuff like that"** she said. What she really wanted to know what he thinks about working for the royal family. **"Also, if you're able to answer, I'm curious to know what it's like to serve with the Royal Eight and under the royal family. You don't have to if you don't want to"** she said. She wouldn't want him telling her about things that he wasn't suppose to.

Tsuki stood up and grabbed a blanket. He then walked outside and set the blanket down over her shoulders so she would stay warm and sat down next to her. **"My goals and desires, huh? Hmm...well, to be honest, I don't really have any. I just want to do what I can protect the royal family for all that they've done for me"** he said. He took a moment to answer her next question. Unlike Setzu, whom he still hasn't seen since he returned to Crescentia with the Moonlight Flower, he trusted her so he didn't have a problem telling her about the Royal Eight and the royal family. **"The Royal Eight are good company to be around with. Each person is from different backgrounds with different stories to tell. Some of them can be difficult to deal with but they're exceptional fighters that I can trust with my life"** he said. He took a deep breath before talking about the royal family. There was so much to tell but he wanted to make sure not to talk about anything private that shouldn't be public knowledge. **"The royal family...where do I start and what can I say? They're like a switch on a wall; one minute, they can be a normal, everyday family and then, with a flip of a switch, they can be a family who rules over an entire Kingdom. King Taichi is a strong leader who would do anything to help people in the Kingdom. He excels in close-combat with his spear while he lacks in magical Artes. He doesn't take in foreign outsiders well though. He has a grudge against the other Kingdoms for what they've caused to our lands. If those countries hadn't started the War of Mana, then the Four Great Spirits wouldn't of had to leave such an imprint on our land which was left in the care of the past royal families. Queen Emma is a little bit different though. She's a kind-hearted woman who thinks of other people's well-being before her own. She's even donated quite a bit of Gald to shelters and even sponsored a build for a condo for people who don't have anywhere to go to live in. Her people are very important to her and thinks of everyone as her own child. Unlike King Taichi, she excels in her magical Artes rather than close-combat"** he explained. He had to stop and take a moment to think about what else he could say without revealing too much information.

Lynette took the blanket he gave her and covered herself up and felt the added warmth. She looked at him as she listened to his story as he talked about the Eight and the royal family. She already knew about the stuff he said about the royal family but just hearing him explain it and to see his facial expressions tells her that they are very important to him. The Royal Eight and the royal family was just like what people already know; they're good, strong people who care for their citizens. **"It must be a great honor to serve under them. What about the Princess?"** she asked. Out of all the members of the Royal Eight and the King and Queen, she was most curious about his relationship with the Princess as she's heard talks and rumors about them.

Tsuki nodded at her. **"It is. I couldn't ask for a better job. As for the Princess..."** he said. There was so many things he could say about the Princess. She's not only the Princess of Cayhill, but she's also his childhood friend. **"She's a joy to be with. She's cheerful, hyper, a little bit on the weird side and is well-loved by everyone. She has a tendency to drown herself with worry though especially when it concerns my safety. I can just imagine her right now, looking out her window and worrying about how I'm doing. She has Queen Emma's kindness and King Taichi's strength so she's quite the fighter. She's also very important to me on a more personal level rather than occupational wise"** he said. He then looked up in the night sky, in the direction where Eresseas was. He couldn't see Eresseas but he knows that she's looking out for him, waiting to hear word from him.

Lynette tilted her head as she saw him stare off into the sky. **"Personal level? Were you guys lovers?"** she asked bluntly. She had heard rumors that the Princess was close to one of the knights that serve under her family. How close they were was all rumors and speculation though. She doesn't even know that they were childhood friends as the more outrageous rumors seem to overlay what was actually true.

Tsuki wasn't surprised that she would ask that. With all the different rumors about them floating around all over Cayhill, he's used to being asked questions like those. He shook his head at her.**"No, we're not lovers. We're childhood friends. Due to our relationship and how we act with each other in public, I can't blame people for coming up with such rumors. I'll be honest though, even though the rumors about us being lovers aren't true, it's actually good morale for the citizens because that builds up hope among the people about having a new King and Queen. I'm not one for becoming royalty though"** he said. He didn't mind if people thought that they were lovers. As long as the people were happy or were hopeful that they would become the next in line for the thrown, he didn't care.

Lynette rubbed her chin with interest. She had no idea that they had such a close relationship. **"I see...I guess the rumors of you and her being the next King and Queen are false then"** she said. A part of her wished the rumors were true, but the rest of her didn't. It would be nice to know who was going to be next in line as King that will serve alongside the Princess she turns Queen.

Tsuki nodded. **"Yes, they're all false. Sorry to break it to you"** he said. He scratched the back of his head and then looked at Lynette. She asked to know more about him and now it was time for her to tell him about herself. **"Enough about me. What about you? Tell me about yourself"** he said.

Lynette swayed to the sides as she thought for a moment. Unlike Tsuki, she didn't really lead an exciting like him. **"Well, I was born into a simple life in a village on the other side of Cayhill. My family is small but they're all wonderful along with everyone else in the village. I discovered my healing abilities when I was around the age of seven"** she said. She stared off into the fire, recalling her past briefly.

Tsuki yawned a little bit as Lynette started to tell her story. He was starting to fall asleep but forced himself to stay awake. There was still so many things to talk about. **"If you lived on the other side of Cayhill, why are you living in Crescentia now? Did you move out?"** he asked.

Lynette shook her head as she continued to stare off into the fire. **"Not exactly. When I turned eighteen, I wanted to see the other parts of Cayhill. So, I set out on my own journey to see what there's to see and I ended up in Crescentia where I stayed for about a year. It reminded me of home and I loved the villagers so I couldn't bear to leave"** she said.

Tsuki yawned a bit more, falling asleep even more and stood up. He then stretched and walked over to the tent behind him. He stopped before entering and turned his head to her. **"There's a lot more questions I want to ask you but lets leave those for another time. Let's get some rest. If we make enough progress, we should be able to reach the outer forest that surrounds Briswater"** he said.

Lynette turned her head to Tsuki and nodded. **"Alright. You go first. I'll be going to sleep shortly. I need some time to collect my thoughts a little bit more"** she said. She wasn't ready to sleep just yet. If she wasn't even the slightest bit tired, then she wouldn't be going to sleep any time soon.

Tsuki nodded and walked into the tent. **"Alright then. Good night. Don't stay up too late, you hear?"** he said as he closed the tent. He then crawled into one of the sleeping bags and fell asleep after several minutes.

After several minutes since Tsuki went to sleep, Lynette doused the fire with some water that was in a bucket and followed her inside the tent and went to sleep. In the morning, they washed up in the nearby river, had something to eat for breakfast and packed up their campsite. Once everything was back in order, they continued their journey once more. Just like the day before, as they walked, they fought off monsters, thugs and bandits of all kind. It was no different than the day before. As they fought, they felt as if they were getting stronger with each passing fight.

Around early in the afternoon, they decided to take a short break to rest their feet and regain their energy. After a long walk, they can finally see the massive forests in the distance that surrounded Briswater. They only had a few more hours of walking to go. They decided to sit by a small pond with a massive tree standing next to it. Also, they were near a mountain forest. They didn't bother setting up a campsite because there would be no point. Not only that, the Barrier was still on a cooldown and won't be usable until later in the afternoon. Tsuki went out to gather some wood and materials for food. He eventually brought back a decent size log and a handful of mushrooms and herbs. He then used the bucket of water and went over to the same nearby river that they were still near and scooped up some fresh water and walked back to the pond. He set the water down and then gathered some twigs and made another fire. He used a knife that was strapped to his ankle and carved two makeshift bowls out of the log he brought back. He used the rest to suspend the bucket of water over the fire and used the materials that gathered along with whatever was left over from when they left Crescentia and dumped them into the boiling water. After several minutes had passed, he had made a bucket of Miso Soup.

Tsuki took the bowls that he carved out of wood and scooped some soup into them. He then took out some plastic spoons and handed a bowl and spoon to Lynette. **"It's not exactly the ideal lunch but this is what we have for now"** he said.

Lynette shook her head as she took the bowl and spoon. She smiled at him and was happy to get some food in her stomach. **"No, it's alright. We are pretty low in supplies, after all"** she said. She took a sniff of the soup and it smelled delicious. She blew on it a few times and then ate some. It was hot but it was good. **"Mmm...this isn't half bad. What else can you cook?"** she asked.

Tsuki sat down with his soup and looked at her. **"I can cook a few things. We don't have the ingredients for them though so we'll have to restock on ingredients when we reach Briswater"** he said. He was aware that they weren't going to make much progress if they had no food or water to keep their energy up. He didn't anticipate having to make a side trip to Briswater just to reach Basilwell, so he didn't have the necessary preparations ready to go. He then took a sip of his soup and was impressed of himself for making the soup out of mostly naturally grown ingredients and still turn out this good.

Lynette continued to eat her soup until her bowl was empty. She had three more servings of it because it was so good. When she was done eating, she set her bowl down and looked at the mountain forest that was running along side the road . As she looked up at how high the mountains reached, she saw something through the trees. She then pointed to what she was seeing. **"Hey, you see that up in the mountain? It looks like some sort of tower"** she said.

Tsuki looked up to where Lynette was pointing to. He ha to look very carefully but he saw it as well. It does indeed look like a tower. **"I don't know...let's see if it's on the map"** he said. He took out the map and opened it up. He found where they were at on the map then looked for some sort of structure in the mountain area. Soon, he found it. **"It's called...Prophet Castle. Something about that name seems familiar"** he said. He heard that name from somewhere but he's not sure where.

Lynette thought about it for a minute. She soon realized what it was. **"Wait, I remember...it's a castle with a chapel in the center of it. It used to be a prestigious castle that overlooked the plains of Cayhill about four hundred years ago. I believe it was used by a rebel group during the War of Mana. Now, it's a ruined castle that was forgotten with the times. Hardly anyone knows about it now except for scholars and travelers that were brave enough to climb all the way up the mountain to reach it. The castle isn't totally abandoned, however. There are rumors that a cult that praises the fallen Archdemon, Albatros and practices human sacrifice. Back in the day, I heard that a village was wiped from the maps of Cayhill due to an attack by this cult. For a village to be completely wiped out, these cultists are a pretty big deal. The village that was wiped from the maps was called Tomoha. There were no signs of any survivors even to this day. People believe they were all either killed or sacrificed"** she said. There was a lot of bad reputation with the castle among the people that know of it and an even worse reputation associated with the cult.

Tsuki listened to her story about the castle. He had no idea that there was such a cult until now. He then went into total shock when she brought up the village called Tomoha. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. **"Tomoha...no way. So, that's what happened back then..."** he said to himself. He never found out who attacked his village or what happened to it's villagers. Now, he finally has a lead. He had to investigate the castle now. There was no other way. He quickly finished up the rest of the Miso Soup then took the bowls and bucket to the river to wash them out. Once he was done, he walked back to the pond and started to pack up his things and then looked over to Lynette. **"I'm going to investigate that castle. You're welcome to come with me if you want"** he told her.

Lynette tilted her head and looked at him. She noticed that his demeanor had completely changed all of a sudden. Was it something she said? **"Why? Shouldn't we hurry on to Briswater?"** she asked. He wouldn't let himself get distracted from his mission by simple curiosity. Something happened to him while they talked.

Tsuki shook his head. **"Let's just say, it's a personal problem and I need answers"** he said. He then heard a girl's scream and cries for help coming out of nowhere. **"What the hell?"** he said. He looked around to find out where the scream came from and soon saw a girl run out of the tree line of the mountain forest. Was she being chased by monsters? In fact, what was a girl doing in the forest? She didn't appear to look like a fighter. Then again, he couldn't get a good view of her due to the distance between them. Upon looking closer, he saw three people in black robes dash out of the tree line. They appeared to be chasing her. Before he could do anything, he saw the girl go down. One of the people picked up her body and then they all returned into the forest.

Lynette looked confused when he said it was a personal problem. That's when she realized that it was something that she had said to him. She didn't want to ask what it was though. That was when she also heard the screaming. She looked in the direction that Tsuki was looking in and saw what he was watching. She recognized the black robes almost immediately. She stood up and tried to follow the direction they were walking in. There was only one place they could go to in the mountains: Prophet Castle. **"Black robes? They must be part of that cult and looks like they have someone to sacrifice!"** she shouted.

Tsuki quickly finished putting his things together and looked at Lynette once more. **"We can't let this happen. Now, we're definitely going to that castle without a doubt. You with me?"** he asked. If he was going to take down a cult that can wipe out an entire village, he was going to need backup and there was only one source to where he can request for reinforcements from.

Lynette nodded at him and stood up. **"Yes, of course! Human sacrifice needs to stop! What can we do though? These guys have wiped out villages before which means they won't be easy to take down, even for you"** she said. No one's stopped the cult because no one knew where they were hiding. All she knows is that when human sacrifice occurs, the cult gathers at the castle.

Tsuki nodded and then whistled. **"I got that problem covered"** he said. Moments later, a bird came and landed on his shoulder. He then took out a piece of paper and a pen and wrote a short letter. It involved the matter of Briswater occupying Basilwell and to request reinforcements be sent to Prophet Castle along with the reason why. Since there was no time to waste, he didn't have time to write down any specific details. He then folded up the letter and tied it to the bird's leg. **"Get this to the King and Queen as soon as possible"** he told the bird. He then launched the bird off his shoulder and watched it fly off in the direction of Eresseas.

Lynette watched Tsuki and tilted her head. **"Oh, I get it now. You're requesting reinforcements from the Kingdom"** she said. She knew that there was no other place he could turn to for reinforcements.

Tsuki looked at Lynette and nodded. **"Yes. It's a letter to the royal family. I asked about Briswater's occupation and for them to send a platoon of knights to Prophet Castle. Even I realize that we can't take down an entire cult capable of wiping out villages"** he said. He put the pen away then looked towards the mountains. **"Come on, let's get going. Hopefully, they'll send reinforcements by the time we reach the castle"** he said. He then rushed towards the tree line and began to push through the trees and bushes so he could make his climb to the castle.

Lynette nodded. **"Right behind you. Let's hurry"** she said. She gathered her things and then followed Tsuki into the mountain forest. It was going to be a tough climb as the castle was at the very top of the mountain. She wondered how the knights would reach the castle if they were deployed as backup.

The mountain forest harbors a handful of different monster species along with the cult members. They were either going to force their way in or do it quietly and sneak in, They didn't know if there were more people in danger nor knew what to expect once they reach the castle. They didn't care as long as they save whoever was captured. They do know one thing for sure, however. They had at least one person in captivity and they had to save her no matter what.

**To be continued...**


	7. Chapter 6: Confrontation

**Tales of Xalthia**

**Chapter 6: Confrontation**

**C**limbing the mountain to reach Prophet Castle was no easy task. There wasn't a clear pathway to use so Tsuki and Lynette had to climb over rock walls, jump over gaps, cross rivers and crawl through tight spaces. Fighting off monsters didn't make it any easier. Surprisingly, they haven't come across anymore figures wearing black robes that may be patrolling around. They assumed that since they've never been found or caught, they have no reason to have security. As they made their way into a clearing, Tsuki heard the call of a bird. He stopped and turned around as a carrier pigeon landed on his shoulder. Before they started their trek up the mountain, he had sent out a letter via carrier pigeon to the King and Queen of Eresseas, stating their current situation and it would seem that they have sent out a reply to him. The message said that they would send a platoon of armored reinforcements and that they would arrive within four hours. Conveniently, there was a platoon of knights that were returning to Eresseas after finishing a mission that was assigned to them near the forests of Briswater. Since the mountain was between Briswater and Eresseas, they would serve as their reinforcements.

After a tough three hour climb, they finally found the remnants of the once glorified castle. It's such a sad sight, seeing a once prestigious castle that once housed someone of great importance was now a human chopping ground for demonic and satanic worship. Now, they had to find the entrance to the decaying castle. Due to the castle being in a severe state of disrepair and decay, they would have to be careful where they walk since the floor, walls or ceiling could give out at any time without warning. As they got deeper into the decaying environment, they started to see more patrols and guards around the area. Getting into such a dangerous place would not be easy considering the circumstances.

They sat back and discussed their entry options. If they forced their way in without some form of back up and with no intelligence about what's inside the castle walls, they would most likely be outnumbered and outmatched. They could either wait another hour for the reinforcements to arrive but they don't know when the ritual will take place, so they couldn't afford to wait. They needed to act quickly and decisively. With every other option out of the way, there was only one approach they could do. They had to do it the stealthy way. Luck was on their side, however. Two people in black robes that appeared to be around their height and build were talking to each other, out of sight from the security around the castle grounds. They quietly approached the two from behind and delivered quick and silent blows to their necks, knocking them out cold. They dragged their bodies into a nearby cave and then removed their robes. They put the robes on and pulled the hood over their heads to hide their faces. Before knocking them out, they watched how they walked and talked. If their plan was going to work, they needed to pretend that they were part of the cult. The plan was to locate the people who were captured and flee the castle. Taking on an entire cult isn't something they were prepared to do. They had no idea who else was in captivity besides the girl they saw at the base of the mountain. Once they were ready, they left the cave and started to approach the castle. Mimicking how the members of the cult walked and talked, they were able to walk past the armed sentries without suspicion. Before they knew it, they were inside the decaying halls of Prophet Castle.

Tsuki and Lynette walked into what appears to be the main foyer as they entered the ruined castle. For a ruined castle, the cult has done an excellent job on keeping the place from crumbling all around them. The halls and the main foyer had old, torn up rugs along with old paintings and portraits of the previous inhabitants. The hallways were littered with broken glass from broken windows and other glass fixtures. As they were looking around the foyer, they were approached by a man dressed in priest clothing with a gold staff. He also appeared to be the leader of the cult as he was the only one dressed different and was giving orders to other cult members.

The man held out his arms in a welcoming gesture as he slowly approached Tsuki and Lynette, unaware that they weren't cult members. **"Welcome, my brother and sister. I pray that your journey here had good tidings"** he said. The man had an almost innocent-looking expression. He didn't look like the leader of a cult that practiced human sacrifice.

Tsuki looked at the man and examined him. It was no wonder that people would follow under him. They wouldn't even know what they would be getting into until it was too late to back out. He couldn't afford to break stealth, however. He had no choice but to play along with the charade of being a member of the cult. **"Yes. We didn't have any issues. So, what's the occasion for the gathering?"** he asked. He didn't want to sound suspicious in his questions but there was no other option to obtain information. Once the armored reinforcements from Eresseas arrive, all hell will break loose. It would be best to learn as much about the cult and their motives as he can before that happens.

The man turned around and looked at anold, shattered mural. You couldn't even make out what it was originally because all of the shattered glass was littered around the main hall. **"The hour for retribution has finally come. Today marks the anniversary of the fallen demon, Albatros. The time has come for our fair maiden from Tomoha to pay tribute to our savior. Thirteen years have passed with thirteen sacrifices. It's time for our fair maiden to join her fallen villagers. Her blood will give our God, our Savior, a new life. Albatross will rise again and purge this world from corruption and start it anew"** he said.

Tsuki paused for a moment before going on. When he heard the word Tomoha, he soon connected the dots. These people were the ones that raided Tomoha. Not only that, but it appears that there were, in fact, fourteen survivors from Tomoha excluding himself but one was sacrificed every year whenever the anniversary of Albatross took place. He soon started to feel sick to his stomach from the shock and horror. Now, there's only one more person who's left to be sacrificed. Failure was no longer an option. He wanted to lash out at the man but he couldn't afford to right now so he had to hid his anger. He took a deep breath before speaking again. **"Where is our maiden now? Praying for her life to God for someone to save her?"** he asked. He hated playing out this charade but he had to deal with it.

The man pointed down one of the side hallways that led further into the castle. **"She's down in the cell block. She tried to escape earlier but we retrieved her. Apparently, she saw two people by a pond at the foot of the mountain and tried to make it to them. Luckily, she failed and they didn't hear her cries for help"** he said. He was enjoying the fact that the girl was so desperate to find help even in a futile situation.

Tsuki thought back for a moment. So, it was the girl from before. _**"Think again, you lunatic"**_ he thought. He shook his head and tried to act concerning. **"Should we have guards posted, just in case?"** he asked. He needed to know if the man was anticipating an unwanted guests.

The man shook his head and turned back around. **"No need. We've never been found before so why bother? Besides, even if they had heard her cries for help, they would never find a way up here. The mountainous terrain is too treacherous for those who don't know the route"** he said. He then examined Tsuki and Lynette, who was silent the whole time, before shrugging. **"Soldiers are weak any way. No one has come close to killing me, Magus Lexhime nor has anyone even realized that we're operating under people's noses"** he said with a cocky attitude.

Tsuki wanted to cut down the man where he stood. His cockiness was making him sick. Going with his better judgment, he chose not to as it wasn't the time to break stealth yet. **"I'd like to have a talk with our maiden before the ceremony"** he said. It was time to have a prison break. He didn't want to stay in this place any longer.

Magus nodded. **"Of course. Make our maiden comfortable before the final hour. She's a little bit on edge right now so don't mind her if she says anything that might upset you"** he said. He then turned down the opposite hallway from where he pointed to and started to walk further into the castle halls until he disappeared around a corner.

Tsuki waited until Magus was gone from sight. He then looked at Lynette, who was still silent.**"Let's go. This place is a disgusting hellhole. Be on your guard and don't attract attention to yourself"** he told her. He then walked down the hallway that Magus pointed to. He wasn't sure if he was being honest or trying to trick him but they didn't have time to wander around the corridors aimlessly.

Lynette was disgusted by what she was seeing and hearing. How could humans do something like this to other humans? These people didn't deserve to be human beings. When the man named Magus left, she looked at Tsuki and nodded. **"Okay. I'll just follow you"** she said. She then followed Tsuki down the hallway that was pointed out to them. She made sure not to make eye contact with anyone or talk to anyone.

Tsuki and Lynette searched the castle grounds for quite some time. It took them longer than they expected to find the cell block because there was no straightforward paths. After getting lost a few times and a forty-five minute search, they finally found the cell block. The cells were quite big. By appearance, they could hold at least thirty people. After walking past rows of empty cells, they found a girl in one of the smaller cells, staring up at a window that was closed off by bars.

Tsuki grabbed onto the bars when they found her. Finally, they could now leave once they released her. Maybe they didn't need the reinforcements after all. **"Ah, there you are. Took us a while to find you"** he said. He knew that the girl would be scared and angry. He had to be careful with what he said and how he moved.

The girl slowly turned around and saw two people in black cloaks that belonged to the cult. Thinking that Tsuki and Lynette are members of the cult, she stepped further away from the bars. As she moved back into a bit of light, it was revealed that her clothing was nothing but rags and sheets that were stained by blood, torn and ripped almost to shreds. **"Ah! What do you want with me now!? Go away!"** she shouted. She was scared out of her mind and angry at the same time. She was a frightened child who was locked in a cage.

Tsuki examined the girl's condition. Physically, she's a total mess with destroyed clothing while being covered in dirt. However, when his gaze got to her face, his body completely froze. **"Y-you...no...it can't be..."** he said, stunned. He slowly took a few steps back from the cell bars, almost appearing to be in shock. It was as if he was looking at a ghost. He hesitated at first, but soon turned around and took off running down another hallway.

Lynette waved her arms in front of her, shaking her head. **"No no, you misunderstand! We're not part of the cult. We're here to rescue you. Isn't that right, Tsu-?"** she asked, stopping before she could finish her question. She looked over to Tsuki, who had interrupted her. She saw his drastic facial expression change. **"Hey...are you...?"** she attempted to ask. Before she could finish, Tsuki took off running down a different hallway. **"Wait! Where are you going!?"** she shouted. She then gave chase to him to find out what spooked him so badly.

Lynette had chased him down a fairly long hallway before eventually, she saw him stop. Tsuki was trying to catch his breath while trying to regain his composure as well. He couldn't believe who he saw. Lynette was clearly worried about him and tried to comfort him. She wanted to know what had happened to him once he saw the girl behind the cell bars.

Lynette placed her hand on his shoulder. She was worried about him. She hasn't seen him act like this, let alone running away from something. **"Hey, are you okay?"** she asked in a concerning tone. What happened to him so suddenly that caused him to flee? He wasn't like this. There was something he was definitely hiding and she wanted to know what it was.

Tsuki caught his breath and calmed himself down after a few minutes of taking deep breaths. He then sighed heavily. He felt ashamed for letting something like that shake him up so badly, given his position as one of the royal family's personal guards. **"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I'm fine now"** he said.

Lynette shook her head. **"You have nothing to be sorry for. What happened?"** she asked. Tsuki is a tough person; it wasn't easy to scare him or make him flee. She was extremely curious on what happened to him but didn't want to push the matter and make it worse.

Tsuki took a few minutes of silence to gather his thoughts. Once he was ready to speak, he looked at Lynette. **"I guess I can't keep it a secret any longer, given the circumstances. That girl...she's not just a captive from Tomoha. She's also...my childhood friend...before Cheria"** he said. He was in no position to lie or hide the truth now.

Lynette was quite surprised when he told her who she was. It took her a moment to make the connection. **"Your childhood friend? Before Cheria? That would mean..."** she said. She was slowly making a connection that tied Tsuki to Tomoha.

Tsuki nodded slowly. **"Yes, exactly what you're thinking. I lied to you when I told you of my past back in Crescentia. My hometown...was Tomoha"** he said. He was extremely hesitant about telling her about this. He knew that he couldn't keep it a secret forever.

Lynette's face turned into shock. She was not expecting to hear that he's from Tomoha, just like that girl. **"W-what? S-so, you're a...survivor along with that girl? But, there have been no signs or records of any survivors from that tragedy. Everyone just assumed that the villagers were either taken away as captives or killed..."** she said. She didn't know what to say. She was completely speechless.

Tsuki took a deep breath before speaking again. **"That's because I've never told anyone, not even the royal family. The tragedy of Tomoha is something I prefer not to live through again, so I kept it to myself"** he said. He felt a bit relieved that he shared such a scarring past with someone on top of discovering that his first friend was still alive. It felt like a great weight was lifted off his shoulders a little bit.

Lynette finally understood why Tsuki suddenly wanted to investigate the castle. She opened Pandora's Box when she told him about the castle and the cult. She had no idea at all. **"I-I'm very sorry. If I had known..."** she said. She felt as if it was her fault that Tsuki was now confronting his past.

Tsuki shook his head. She was not at fault in the slightest bit. **"No, don't apologize. I kept the truth hidden so you wouldn't of known. Besides, if it wasn't for you, I would never have decided to come to this castle where I found someone I deeply cared about that I thought was dead. In fact, I should be thanking you for bringing this all up in the first place"** he said. He was sincerely grateful that she had told him about the cult and the castle. Now that he had confirmed who the girl was, he had to make haste and get her out. He then turned around in the direction he ran from. **"Come, let's get her out of that cell and get out of this place"**he said. He couldn't wait for the reinforcements from Eresseas . He was going to have to force his way out.

Lynette looked at him and felt relieved that he was doing better. Even though he forgives her, she still felt guilty. She shook off her guilt and nodded at him. This was no time for despair. **"Yes...let's save her from this hell"** she said. This girl has been held captive and probably endured torture for thirteen years. It was amazing that she was still alive.

Tsuki and Lynette then retraced their steps back to the cell blocks. They noticed that it was starting to get dark outside by looking out the windows. They were running out of time. They still haven't seen anything that told them that the reinforcements were nearby. Even if they don't come in time, they couldn't afford to wait. They would be left with no choice but to force their way through if they didn't arrive on time. Soon, they eventually returned to the cells but something was wrong.

Tsuki walked up to the cell where his childhood friend was being held. There was only one small problem; she was no longer there. **"She's gone! That means...the ritual!"** he shouted. This was bad. They didn't even know where the ritual was taking place. He then looked at Lynette with a sense of panic. **"We're returning to the main hall! Maybe we'll find something" **he said. He wasted no time. He took off back in the direction of the main hall, where they came from originally**.**

Lynette walked up beside Tsuki when they discovered that the girl was gone. When Tsuki decided to return to the main hall, she nodded. They really had no other way to go. Maybe they would run into someone who could show the way. **"Of course! Let's hurry!"** she said. She then followed him back to the main hall. As they ran down the hallway, they could not see any members of the cult. They must of all gone to where the ritual was being held.

They eventually returned to the main hall, where they heard the sounds of drums, humming and chanting. They were on the right track. After looking around the main hall, they saw people walking into a darkened chamber with torches. They took some torches off the walls and followed the people into the chamber. Inside, there was a massive dome-shaped room with a small opening in the ceiling. This room must of been of some significant importance back then. The room appeared to be a meeting hall in it's past life where a large group of soldiers would gather and discuss strategies or hold large meets. In the center of the room, was a massive incantation symbol written in chalk. At the far end of the room was a stone table where Tsuki's childhood friend was bound by chains attached to her arms and legs. The ritual was already underway. They need to act now before it was too late. Luck was finally on their side though. As Tsuki was looking around, he noticed a stream of red smoke from a signal flare come from the woods outside in the direction of the main gate from one of the windows. He knew what that meant. The reinforcements from Eresseas were closing in fast. It wouldn't be long until they storm the ruined castle. Judging from the distance, they were several minutes out from the castle grounds. Tsuki needed to be at the stone table before hell breaks loose.

When Tsuki noticed the stream of red smoke from a signal flare, he nudged Lynette and pointed to the window so she could see the signal flare smoke. **"They're almost here. I'm going up to the altar. Follow me up to the front of the crowd but when I make my move, you wait here until I say so. Got it?"** he asked.

Lynette felt the nudge and turned her head to the window that Tsuki pointed to and saw the signal flare smoke trail. She looked back at him and nodded. **"Right. Be careful"** she said.

Tsuki and Lynette casually made their way through the crowd and eventually reached the front. As they stepped out of the crowd, there were a series of stone steps leading up to the altar where the stone table was at. Standing above the girl who was bound by chains were two priests and Magus himself. They also saw Tsuki's friend struggling to break free and putting up a fight. She wasn't making it easy for Magus, who was performing the ritual along with his assistants. Magus had a ceremonial dagger in hand along with his staff. He was speaking out some type of prayer of sorts and was about to finish up the ritual. It was time to act now.

Magus approached the captive girl with his arms spread out in a welcoming gesture. **"With that, O'Lord of Chaos and Ruin, we offer you the pure, virgin blood of our beloved maiden. Bless us with your grace. Show us and this world a new way of life" **he spoke as he finished his prayer. He stood next to the stone table as he handed his staff to one of the assistants and got his dagger ready.

The girl was riddled with fear. You could see the sheer terror in her eyes. Tears kept down her face. **"No...please...don't kill me...I'll do anything..."** she begged. She knew she was going to die, regardless of how much she begs. She could only prolong the inevitable.

Magus leaned down to her to whisper something. **"I told you before, my dear. You are property of the cult"** he whispered. He then stood up straight and looked at the crowd so everyone could hear him. **"As our property, this is your true purpose. But, don't worry...you'll be joining your fellow villagers and friends who have given their lives for the sake of a new era"** he said. He then held the dagger over her chest and plunged it down.

The girl knew this was it. All she could do is close her eyes and wait for death. Tsuki did not hesitate to take action. When he saw Magus start to bring his dagger down on her, he charged out from the crowd and lunged up from the stairs, slamming his elbow into his chest with great force and pushed him back, dropping the dagger. Tsuki then caught the dagger before it could fall to the ground.

When Magus was knocked back, the entire cult was put on edge as Tsuki was now the center of attention. Magus covered his chest with his arm as he looked at Tsuki. **"You...what do you think you're doing!? How dare you interfere with this ritual!"** he shouted. He was angry that he was interrupted before he could finish the ritual. He got back on his feet and gave him a long stare. **"As a cult member, you know the rules for interrupting a ritual"** he said, snapping his fingers afterwards.

Once he snapped his fingers, one of the priests rushed at Tsuki, pulling a dagger from his sleeve. The priest lunged the dagger towards his chest with no hesitation. His movements were slow though. Tsuki easily stepped to the side, grabbing the priests' wrist with one hand and stabbed Magus' dagger that he had caught in his other hand into the priests' chest. He then swung the priest around and threw him off the altar, making a loud thud as he hit the ground.

Once the man went down and bled out on the floor, he turned and faced Magus and removed the black robe. **"Unfortunately, I don't. You people think you can sacrifice a human life for the sake of a fallen demon or false God? This charade of yours ends now"** he said. He turned his head to the his captive friend, who was giving him a long stare. After a few moments, he looked back at Magus and gave him a cold look. **"You will pay for what you've done. You want a new world so badly? Then allow me to send you off to the next one"** he said in an aggressive tone. Anger had consumed him almost completely.

The time to confront his past was now. He now has a chance to avenge his fallen village and the victims of the tragedy. With armored reinforcements fast approaching, there was no way they could fail. They had to win no matter what. However, fighting a cult capable of fighting off wiping out an entire village won't be an easy task even with reinforcements. They had a tough fight ahead of them.

**To be continued...**


	8. Chapter 7: Rescue

**Tales of Xalthia**

**Chapter 7: Rescue**

**T**suki and Lynette had successfully infiltrated Prophet Castle and found the captive girl who turned out to be Tsuki's childhood friend from Tomoha, who was believed to be killed. Exposing himself to the cult was a risky and dangerous plan, considering that the reinforcements from Eresseas were still about ten minutes out. Now, the entire cult had placed a huge target on Tsuki since he was the first to reveal himself. Lynette, however, still remains a secret from the cult. It was only a matter of time before she has to reveal herself though.

Magus stared at Tsuki and immediately realized who he was based the insignia on his armor. **"You...you're one of the Royal Eight!"** he shouted. He wasn't expecting to be caught by someone of his statue, let alone anyone who was a personal and elite guard that served under the royal family. It took him by surprise

Tsuki pointed his sword at Magus with intent to kill on his face. **"My name is Tsuki Himura. By the laws of Eresseas and under the name of the royal family, I order you all to stand down and surrender. You all are to be held in contempt on multiple charges of murder, kidnap and manslaughter."** he demanded. He was having a personal conflict. He had to choose between doing the right thing which was taking the cult into custody or taking justice in his own hands and avenge all of those that were killed because of the cult.

The girl opened her eyes and saw Tsuki standing above her. She looked up at him with hopeful eyes. This was the first time she's seen someone who's managed to find her after all of these years. Before she could speak out, she heard him introduce himself. Upon hearing her name, her eyes widened. She made an instant connection on who he was. **"Tsu...? Can it really be you...?"**she asked him, almost hesitantly

Tsuki turned his head at the girl and gave her a gentle smile with a nod. **"Don't you worry. I'll get you out of here, Nagi"** he said. He then looked back at Magus and gave him a threatening look. He wasn't going to let him get away.

Magus chuckled quietly before he busted out laughing. **"Us? Surrender? Why would we do that when we have you completely surrounded and outnumbered? Elite guard or not, you're so full of yourself, thinking you can take us all on alone. You should of stayed hidden away. You could of lived longer"** he said, snapping his fingers. Upon snapping his fingers, they could hear the echo of swords and daggers being unsheathed from the crowd behind Tsuki. **"Any last words before we cut you up?"** he asked.

Tsuki looked back at the cult members as they drew their weapons. He didn't even show a hint of fear or intimidation. His expression was stone cold. Although, he didn't exactly have a back-up plan so he was in quite a bind. However, he then sensed a sudden concentration of Aer, which is the basic component that makes up Mana. He knew what that meant. He then looked at Magus with a smug look. **"I have only two words. You're busted"** he said.

Moments later, there was an explosion that came from the direction of the castle's main gate. The explosion caused the ground to shake violently and the chandeliers and loose hanging stone to fall throughout the castle. It was a miracle the place didn't come down entirely, given the current state that the castle was in already. Once the explosion died down along with it's aftereffects, they heard shouting and the sounds of guns going off and the clashes of swords.

Lynette walked up to Tsuki and removed her black robe, revealing herself **"Did you really think that he came here alone? We've been watching you for some time now"** she said, acting like she was part of the royal guard. She looked around the room and saw the panic and disorder the crowd was in. **"We have the castle grounds surrounded. You have nowhere to run" **she said, still putting on the act.

Magus gave both of them a cold, frustrated stare. He was furious that this all happened at once. He began questioning himself on why he didn't have a decent security team. He realized that he got cocky over the years of not being caught. **"Damn. You won't get away with this!"** he shouted. He then took out two objects that looked like bombs. In fact, they were two highly compact flash bombs that were used to make quick and immediate escapes. He then threw them down on to the ground. Before they hit the ground, Magus and the rest of the cult covered their eyes. Upon hitting the ground, the bombs released a sudden blinding light that left everyone in the room who didn't shield their eyes blinded for thirty seconds.

Tsuki, Lynette and Nagi were left blinded when the flash went off. They could hear the sounds of feet from within the chamber running in the opposite direction. On top of that, they heard the sounds of fighting were slowly starting to die down. When they got their sight back the ritual chamber was emptied out. The cult that filled the entire room had disappeared within a thirty second time frame. They couldn't explain it. If they ran out the front, then they wouldn't of gotten past the knights. Perhaps, there was another escape route that they didn't know about.

When Tsuki saw the emptied room, he knew that they had an escape plan, even when they didn't have any security at all. He was surprised that the cult even had a back up plan. He eventually shrugged it off and sighed heavily before looking over at Lynette. **"Nice acting. You almost had me fooled, thinking you were part of the royal guard. With an attitude like that and your healing Artes, you'd make a great addition for the royal family" **he said.

Lynette waved her arms in front of her face, blushing slightly from the compliment. **"Me? Working under the royal family? Like that will ever happen" **she said. She had no interest in holding a high ranking position or any position in general. She wasn't too keen on that sort of thing. **"Anyway, looks like they managed to escape. Though, I'm not sure how they managed to do that with Eresseas' presence here now" **she said.

Tsuki sighed and scratched the back of his head. **"This place is littered with holes. It's possible that they made themselves an escape route in case of emergencies like this were to happen. We didn't come here to actually take down the entire cult anyway" **he said. He turned around and used his sword to cut the chains that bound Nagi to the stone table. He sheathed his sword afterwards and kneeled down next to her. **"It's been a long time, Nagi. There's no need for you to worry anymore. You're in good hands now"** he said in a gentle tone. He was aware that her state of mind could be extremely fragile after being a captive for thirteen years before almost being killed as a sacrifice.

Nagi slowly sat up on the stone table, paralyzed. She was still in shock that her childhood friend, who was presumed dead after the raid on Tomoha, came out of nowhere and rescued her when her life was about to end. It was like something that could happen in books or movies. She didn't accept it at first because she thought that she was in heaven. **"Tsu...? I can't believe it. Is this heaven?"** she asked, believing she was dead.

Tsuki smiled a bit, took her hand and held it tightly. **"No. This is real. You're very much alive"** he said, reassuring her. He could understand her shock. He was shocked too when he discovered who she was in the prison block.

Nagi knew this was real when she felt the warmth from his hand. Her eyes almost immediately teared up as she quickly grabbed and held onto him tightly, crying into his chest. **"Oh Tsu...! I thought...I thought you were dead! Everyone I knew...everyone I loved...I believed that they were all dead!"** she said, crying her eyes out. She couldn't hold back her tears anymore.

Tsuki held onto her, petting the back of her head gently. **"I'm here now. You don't have to be afraid anymore"** he said. He then motioned at Lynette. **"Lyn, can you heal her?"** he asked. She had cuts and bruises all over her body and he couldn't leave her in this condition.

Lynette nodded and walked over to the other side of the stone table and stood above Nagi. She held out her hands as a warm, white light emitted from her hands and covered Nagi. After a few moments, the light slowly disappeared. **"Her physical injuries aren't serious. They're only minor ones which is surprising considering what she's been through. I can't tell how damaged her mental state is, however. She's going to need a full medical examination"** she said. She may be a healer but she can't heal the mind. She needs an experienced doctor.

Just then, three armored knights ran into the chamber. They saw Tsuki and approached him. Once they got to the stone steps, they saluted him. **"Sir Tsuki! Are you alright!?"** one of the knights said. The knight appeared to be a Captain due to the red garb that was placed over his armor.

Tsuki looked over at the knights that approached them and nodded. **"We're okay! You guys came just in time"** he said. He had to be honest with himself; he had no plan whatsoever when the cult drew their weapons. He could of died before the reinforcements showed up for all he knows.

Another knight, who appeared to be a lieutenant due to her blue garb over her armor walked up to the stone table and examined Lynette and Nagi. Her initial thoughts were that they were captives. Everyone knew Tsuki departed Eresseas alone so no one knew he picked up some help along the way. **"We're just glad we made it in time, considering the stakes that were involved. We apprehended two members of the cult so we'll take them back to the capital and have them interrogated when we return"** she said. After examining Lynette and Nagi, she had to ask. **"Were these two captives?"** she asked.

Tsuki tilted his head and shook it. **"Only one was. This girl has been a captive for thirteen years. She's a survivor from the raid on a village called Tomoha, believe it or not"** he said, pointing to Nagi. He then looked at Lynette. **"She's with me. She helped me with this infiltration"** he said.

The third knight, who was a low ranking knight, was surprised when he brought up Tomoha. **"From Tomoha!? She's actually a survivor!?"** he asked. He was always interested on the research that tried to explain what happened to Tomoha. He was disappointed that a definitive answer was never found out though.

Tsuki nodded. **"Yes. When you guys set out for Eresseas with the prisoners, I'd like you to take her with you for a full medical examination. Eresseas has some of the best doctors in the world. Tell them that this is a personal request from me and they'll handle things from there"** he said. As much as he didn't want to be separated from Nagi again, he had no other choice. He wasn't sure if the cult was going to come back for her nor does he know how damaged her mental state was.

The Captain saluted him once more when he gave them the order. **"Yes sir! We're doing a thorough sweep of the castle grounds to make sure that no one is hiding out. Given the size of the castle, we'll be here for a while"** he said. They also had to do a perimeter sweep as well. They had a large area to canvas.

Tsuki crossed his arms and stroked his chin. **"There are holes everywhere. Keep an eye out for any hidden passageways that could of been used as escape routes. We'll stick around for the meantime while things are sorted out"** he said. He was aware that they'd be at the castle for quite some time. He still needed an answer about Briswaters' occupation as well. He was hoping whoever was in charge of the knights had an answer.

The Captain held onto his salute as he spoke. **"Roger. Stay as long as you like"** he said. He then dropped the salute and turned around. **"Please excuse us. We're going to aid the search efforts"** he said.

With all that said and done, the three knights left the chamber. Tsuki could hear the footsteps of many iron boots echo throughout the empty halls as well as commands being given out by other knights. It was hard to tell just how many knights came as reinforcements. Once they had the room to themselves again, Tsuki put his attention back on Nagi.

Tsuki placed his hand on her cheek and rubbed it gently. **"How are you holding up?"** he asked. He had so much catching up to do with her but this wasn't the time or the place for such a thing. He would have to catch up with her another time. He was sure that she had a lot to get off her chest after being in captivity for thirteen years too but knew it would be tough for her.

Nagi rubbed her eyes, sniffling as she felt his hand on her cheek. **"I'm doing better. I can't believe you're a knight serving under the royal family"** she said. She didn't expect him to be a knight let alone being part of Eresseas' Royal Eight that serve directly under the royal family.

Tsuki chuckled a bit. He could understand her initial doubt. The person he was back then was not knight material. In fact, he had a rather weak and fragile build when he was younger. He has improved greatly over the years. He was almost like a different person. **"Well, a lot has happened in the years we've been apart. I'll fill you in on it all at another time okay? Right now, my concern is your well-being"** he said.

Nagi wiped her tears away before taking in a deep breath. **"I'm going to hold you to that, you know" **she told him. She then looked over to Lynette then back at Tsuki. **"So, tell me...who's this girl?"** she asked. If she was with Tsuki, then she must be a friend.

Lynette pointed to herself, tilting her head. **"My name is Lynette Suzaki, but you can call me Lyn. I'm a healer that's traveling with Tsuki. He tells me that you're his childhood friend from before Cheria"** she said. She realizes that Nagi is in a rather fragile state due to everything that's happened so she didn't want to overload her with lots of questions right now.

Nagi nodded. **"Yes. My name is Nagi Ferid. Nice to meet you"** she said. She then paused for a moment before asking her next question. **"What do you mean, before Cheria?"** she asked. It took her a moment to realize who she was. **"You don't mean...the Princess of Eresseas?"** she asked.

Tsuki nodded once more. **"Yes. After the cult left Tomoha in ruin, I searched everywhere for survivors. Everywhere I could possibly go, I went to search. I soon came to terms that you and everyone else were gone. I was in a depression state for quite a long time even after moving into Eresseas. That's when I met Cheria. Thanks to her and the kind support from the royal family, I eventually came out of my depression and to repay them for everything that they've done for me, I was admitted into the knights and moved my way on up the chain to become a part of the Royal Eight, where I serve as the Princess' bodyguard"** he said.

Nagi couldn't believe how much Tsuki's changed. He was a completely different person than from what he remembers. She thought back to when they were together as kids and couldn't help but chuckle a bit. **"It's funny. Back then, you were a fragile boy and I was the big sister that had to protect you"** she said.

Just then, a different knight came into the chamber. He walked up to the stone stable and saluted Tsuki. **"Sir, we've secured the castle grounds. If anyone is still in hiding, they can't hide forever now that we occupy the area for the time being. The Commander would also wish to speak with you. He's waiting outside in the courtyard"** he said.

Tsuki looked over to the knight and nodded. **"Alright. I'll be right there"** he said. The leader was the person he wanted to talk to the most after Nagi. The leader should have some information about Briswaters' occupation of Basilwell.

The knight dropped his salute with a nod. **"Yes sir!"** he said. The knight then turned around and headed out of the chamber.

Tsuki looked at Lynette and Nagi once the knight left. **"Come on, let's go. I'll carry you out"** he said. He couldn't wait to get some fresh air. The smell of the castle after decades of being empty with the added smell of the blood from human sacrifice was not pleasant.

Tsuki leaned down, putting Nagi's right arm around his neck and picked her up in a princess cradle. He knew that she wasn't hurt physically but he didn't want her to strain her body after what she's been through. Soon they made their way out of the room and out of what was left of the main gate. Once they were outside, it was pitch black. The only thing that lit up the night were torches that were lit all throughout the castle grounds by the knights. They took a deep breath of fresh air and saw a man standing in the center of the courtyard. His chest plate had a yellow Phoenix etched into it and the sleeves of his armor were a dark red color. He was standing with his arms crossed, waiting patiently.

The man was standing in the courtyard, waiting for Tsuki. When he saw them come out of the castle, he then approached them. **"I had heard from His Majesty that you set out from Eresseas on a mission to Basilwell a few days ago. Here, I thought you would be there by now. Instead, I get orders from the King and Queen, ordering me to redirect my knights to this forsaken castle to assist one of the Royal Eight who has gotten involved with something that's way over his head. You sure are quite the daredevil, challenging the entire cult all by yourself. I'm not sure if I should call you brave or stupid"** he said.

Tsuki approached the man, chuckling a bit **"It's great to see you too, Georg. You came at the perfect time"** he said. Him and Georg had a long history together. They served together for four years before Tsuki was appointed to the Royal Eight. Georg always likes giving him a hard time.

Georg sighed then gave Tsuki a smirk after examining Lynette and Nagi. **"I see that you're surrounding yourself with some rather cute girls. You're even carrying one as if she's a princess. Cheria would have a fit if she saw this, you know"** he said. Of course, he was only teasing him. It's what he loves to do.

Tsuki shook his head. He was used to Georg's teasing. **"Please don't make such accusations. What did you need to talk to me about?"** he asked. He looked down at Nagi briefly before looking back at Georg **"Also, if you have any spare clothing, get Nagi cleaned up for me"** he said. She was in tattered, dirty clothes. If anyone deserved a change in clothes, it was her.

Georg looked at Nagi and nodded. **"Of course. I'll see what our supplier has in storage. In the meantime, read this. It's a message from Her Majesty"** he said, taking out a letter and handing it to Tsuki. **"This will explain Briswaters' occupation, your long-awaited answer"** he said.

Tsuki set Cheria down on the ground and took the letter from Georg and looked back at Lynette. Finally, they were about to get their answer about why Briswater is occupying Basilwell. He took a moment to take a deep breath before opening it. After a few moments, he opened the letter and started to read it.

**_"Tsuki, I apologize for being late in informing you about Briswater. We didn't receive word about it until two days after you left. The reason why Briswater occupied Basilwell is because one of Briswaters' generals was found dead with a message left behind that said "We're coming". We are not sure who they are and since this was a Briswater general that was killed in Basilwell, they occupied town until they find the killer. Major Maxwell of Briswater is restricting access to Basilwell because of this. Even under our requests, we could not get you in. We did talk to the General though. He agreed to meet with you in Briswater. Show the attached note to Maxwell's security detail at their headquarters and you'll get through to meet him. Again, we sincerely apologize for this. If anything happens, we'll make sure to contact you as soon as possible. Keep in touch with us as well. You wouldn't want Cheria worrying about you now, right? Stay safe and return to us soon."_**

Now, he understood why Briswater would suddenly occupy Basilwell without some form of notification to Eresseas prior to the occupation. Tsuki and Lynette still had a few hours of walking to reach the forest that surrounded Briswater. However, they chose to stay with Georg's knights until their search for any lingering cult members that may still be around was finished. They weren't quite back on track with Tsuki's mission until they leave Prophet Castle and climb back down the mountain to reach the trail again. There was something about the cult that seemed off to Tsuki, however. What were their true goals? Did they really believe in a false prophet? There seemed to be more to their goals besides resurrecting a fallen demon. Tsuki knows one thing though. This was not the last time that he would see the cult. Now that he knows who the culprits were that destroyed his hometown, killed his fellow villagers and almost killing Nagi, he will destroy them whatever it takes.

**To be continued...**


	9. Chapter 8: Stalker in the Shadows

**Tales of Xalthia**

**Chapter 8: Stalker in the Shadows**

**T**suki and Lynette remained at the makeshift camp that was set up by Georg's knights in the ruined courtyard of Prophet Castle. The search for any lingering cult members went on for several hours. Unfortunately, they found no trace of the cult. Since there was no trace of the cult anywhere, there was no point in continuing the search. Despite not finding any trace of the cult or anything that could tell them where they went, it was the perfect chance for Tsuki and Nagi to catch up a little bit in the thirteen years they've been apart.

The following day, the Knights took down their camp and packed up their things so that they were ready to move out. It didn't take long for everything to get packed. When everything was back in order, they used a Sealing Arte to close off access to Prophet castle. Since it was discovered that the cult practiced human sacrifice, the entire castle grounds has been closed off for investigation. The seal prevented anyone who didn't have a special symbol on them from entering the castle grounds. Once the seal was successfully set up, everyone began their descent down the mountain. The climb down took about two hours since Georg and his knights marked a pathway to reach the castle safely. All they had to do was follow it. Before they knew it, they were off the mountain and back on the plain where they first entered. The knights, along with Nagi, then stood in the direction of Eresseas while Tsuki and Lynette were facing the opposite direction towards Briswater.

Tsuki walked up to Georg and held his hand out for a handshake. **"Please take good care of Nagi. Make sure she gets the best medical treatment Eresseas has"** he said. He wanted to make sure that she will be in good hands. This was going to be the last he sees her for quite a while. His mission was far from complete.

Georg stretched his arm out and took his hand, shaking it. **"Don't worry. Remember, Eresseas has some of the world's best doctors. She'll be in good hands until you return from your mission"** he said. He then looked at Nagi and gave her a thumbs up with a smile. **"If the cult comes for her, they'll have to get through us"** he added. He wasn't worried though. He had the strongest unit of knights in the kingdom. His unit of knights were infamously known as the Dragon Unit, which has a reputation that spreads even outside of continent of Cayhill to different kingdoms.

Tsuki nodded and looked over at Nagi. **"I'll be back when my mission is complete. Until then, you'll be safe under the care of the royal family. If you bring me up, I'm sure that they'll open up to you"** he said. If the royal family heard her story, there would be no doubt that they would do anything to help her. Although, he was sure that they would freak when they learn that not only she was from Tomoha, but Tsuki as well.

Nagi looked at Tsuki and nodded. She was in a much more cheery mood. She was cleaned up and wearing a knight's apprentice armor set which was basically just chainmail armor. It was a lot better than wearing the torn, ragged clothes that she had been wearing for years. **"Just come back safe. I just found you and I don't want to lose you again"** she said.

Tsuki smiled at her, nodding. **"Don't worry. I'm not the fragile boy from back then. I'll be fine. You'll be safer in Georg's care rather than mine anyway"** He then looked over to Lynette. **"You ready to get a move on?"** he asked.

Lynette nodded. **"Yes, whenever you're ready"** she said. She was hoping that there would be no more interruptions. She just wants to reach Briswater already. With the whole Moonlight Flower and Prophet Castle ordeals, Tsuki's been postponed enough as it is.

Georg saluted Tsuki and Lynette with his knights following with the salute. **"Be safe on your journey. A lot of weird things have been occurring lately. I'll be sure to tell Cheria about you so she doesn't worry"** he said. Being an old friend of Tsuki's, he couldn't help but worry. Despite his skills with a blade, he tends to put himself in situations that are over his head. He doesn't want him to be doing anything reckless, for Cheria's sake.

Tsuki returned the salute to Georg and his knights. **"I will and thanks. Be safe in your journey home"** he said. Unlike Georg, he wasn't worried. Georg is known to be one of the strongest fighters in Cayhill that can rival Stahler, who was the strongest out of the Royal Eight. He still doesn't understand why he doesn't take up a position as part of the Royal Eight.

After several minutes of exchanging goodbyes, Georg and his unit of knights along with Nagi and the two cult prisoners turned around and started their long march down the road towards Eresseas. Tsuki and Lynette watched them for a few minutes before turning around and continued their journey to Briswater. They had another days walk ahead of them before they would reach the forest that surrounds the city.

For the rest of their journey, nothing else really exciting happened to them. They went back to fighting off common monsters and thugs, took breaks, eat, slept and repeated the process. Before they knew it, they finally arrived at the forest that surrounds Briswater. They now had had to make their way through the thick, dense forest to reach their true destination. The entire area of Briswater, including the forest, is considered a holy land since this was the place where the War of Mana was put to an abrupt end. Since it was a holy land, nothing can be touched or removed. As such, there were still old, rusted suits of armor hidden among the bushes of the forest. If people didn't watch where they step, they could step on broken, rusted weapon shards that were still scattered everywhere, hidden under the thick brush. There was only one apparent danger hidden in the forest besides rusted relics though. The forest harbors something very unholy and quite dangerous. Tsuki was hesitant for a bit and wasn't sure where to begin telling Lynette so he took a bit longer to gather his thoughts on what he should say without having to scare her.

Lynette looked around and all she could see were trees and bushes. The place was a lot bigger on the inside than the outside. She could hear the chirping of birds and various other animal noises. There was an eerie lack of monster sounds though but she didn't pay it no mind considering what the forest was known as. **"Wow, this place is huge! I wasn't expecting it to be so big"** she said. She was slightly worried that they might get lost. Considering how thick it appeared to be. the chances for that happening is quite possible.

Tsuki walked into the forest a bit, seeing how far the trail goes. It didn't appear to stretch very far before it becomes impossible to see due to how thick the brush was. After thinking about their options and looking on the map, he made his way back to Lynette. **"The trail doesn't go far before it becomes impossible to traverse. The forest is so thick that I can't see the trail past a certain point. Apparently, no one's used this path in quite some time due to the condition it was in. They must of made a new path so it'll be easier to reach the city. Unfortunately, I don't know where the new path is so we'll have to be mindful of our surroundings" **he said.

Lynette tilted her head. **"I haven't been here before so I'm not sure what we should do. What do you have in mind?"** she asked. She knows that if they walk aimlessly, they could get lucky and reach Briswater, get themselves lost or end up on the other side of the forest, completely walking past Briswater entirely.

Tsuki crossed his arms and stroked his chin in thought. **"Normally, when I come to visit Briswater, I'd follow the indicated path since it would take you straight to Briswater...but that was three years ago. Now, the path that I used to travel on is overgrown with weeds, making it impossible to follow. We could try and follow the trail through the brush"** he suggested. Any other option was going to put them in trouble. If the monsters didn't kill them, their severe shortage of supplies such as food and water would. He was also hesitant about going off the path due to the unholy terror the forest harbors. Thankfully, their Barrier in the Camp Set would keep them safe at nights. They'll definitely need it in the forest.

Lynette nodded and started to follow the trail. **"Let's go then. Standing here won't get us anywhere"** she said. She wasn't aware about the hidden danger of the forest. Since this was her first time here, she really didn't know anything.

Before she could wander off down the trail, Tsuki grabbed her arm to stop her. She needed to be wary of what comes out at night. **"Wait, there's one thing you need to know about this forest"**he said, shaking a bit just from the thought of it.

Lynette stopped when he grabbed her arm. She turned around, tilting her head at him. **"What is it?"** she asked. She then saw that he was obviously nervous about something as she could feel the shaking of his arm. This immediately caused a bit of worry inside her.

Tsuki released her arm and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. **"You know that I don't scare easy. If there was ever a time where I exhibit a hint of fear, it's when I'm up against something that's the true face of evil. There's a certain class of monster that prowls around certain corners of the world. Have you ever heard of a monster class known as Razgriz?"** he asked. Just by mentioning the name makes him even more uneasy.

Lynette thought about the name for a moment. She hit a blank after several minutes of thinking.**"No...what are they? Should we be worried?"** she asked. She immediately noticed how uneasy Tsuki was becoming. Whatever these so-called Razgriz monsters were shook him up pretty bad, which causes her worry to grow more.

Tsuki had to take a moment of silence before answering her question. **"They are incredibly powerful monsters far beyond the strength of normal monsters. They're scattered throughout the world in different locations. There are only twenty in the world, so it may not seem like a big deal. However, they're tough to kill. Not even Georg or Stahler, who are two of the best fighters in Eresseas, could take them down alone"** he said. The Razgriz were a unique class of monster not to be taken lightly.

Lynette knew the reputation behind Georg and Stahler. As such, she was surprised hearing that they couldn't fight these Razgriz monsters alone. She didn't even know how to react. **"Wow...that's not exactly comforting news, is it? So, you're saying that one of the Razgriz are here, considering your behavior?"** she asked nervously. The so-called holy grounds of Briswater didn't appear to be so holy after all.

Tsuki nodded slowly. **"Yes, exactly. The military had made a designated path to Briswater, which was the fastest and safest path to the city that went around it's normal pattern. However, the path is all but gone. We have no choice but to make our own path to the city with extreme caution. I just hope we don't have a run-in with the Razgriz"** he said. He took another look at the overgrown path and thought of which way to go.

Lynette tilted her head. **"What should we do if we do encounter it?"** she asked. She knew that fighting it was not an option so she already knew the answer he would give.

Tsuki walked past Lynette and started to walk through the brush. **"We run like hell. We would be fighting a lost cause"** he said as he walked past her.

Lynette chuckled nervously, uneasy with what he said. Tsuki is the only one capable of fighting. She can only heal wounds right now. **"Run like hell...right"** she said. She then followed Tsuki, keeping him within arm's length as they started to make their way through the forest.

Tsuki and Lynette spent about three hours wandering through the forest. They now had lost sight of the path completely. Thankfully, they found no trace of Razgriz but they still had a ways to go until they reached Briswater. It was starting to get dark out which means that the Razgriz monster will soon start making it's move around the forest. They quickly found a small open area and wasted no time to get their camp and Barrier set up. They gathered enough resources to last the night as traveling outside the Barrier is suicide. As they sat down and ate inside the Barrier around the small campfire, they kept quiet most of the time. They didn't want to attract the Razgriz.

About two hours after thyy had starting eating, Lynette had passed out from exhaustion. Tsuki remained awake for a while longer to stand guard. As he stayed awake, he took the time to write a letter to the royal family which he would send out once he woke up the next day.

_**"My King and Queen, thank you very much for sending reinforcements to Prophet Castle. Without the help of Georg and his knights, I would not of been successful in my infiltration. I'm currently making my way through the forest that surrounds Briswater and I'll be honest with you. I'm worried and a bit scared because of the Razgriz monster that resides in this forest. I haven't seen any trace of the monster but that doesn't mean it's not out there. Writing this letter, I can't help but feel like I'm being watched. I'll send you another report when I meet with Maxwell. Please, do not worry about me nor send any back-up to the forest. If I fall, I don't want other knights suffering the same fate.**_

_**One last thing before I end this report. Cheria, I can't stress this enough. Please, do not allow yourself to be overcome with worry. You are the Princess of Eresseas and future Queen. You need to keep a clear head and stay strong. I want you to know that I intend to keep my promise to you. I will return safely. Keep me in your prayers every night and I'll be just fine"**_

_** -Tsuki Himura**_

As he finished writing the letter, he folded it up and put it in his pocket. He then sighed heavily. As he wrote in his report, he did, in fact, feel as if he was being watched. He shook his head, stood up and used the bucket of water that he had to douse the fire. He then walked over to Lynette and picked her up. As he made his way into the tent, he heard tree branches being broken off with force in the distance behind him. The sounds of crashing echoed in the silent forest. He quickly entered the tent and set Lynette down slowly and pulled the blanket over her. He then took one last peak through the tent folds and noticed a pair of red eyes in the distance. Along with the eyes, he could see a monster-sized shadow walk around. Judging from it's shadow, it didn't appear to be a normal monster which could only mean one thing. He got the chills up his spin as he was a bit afraid. **"Razgriz...it knows we're here now. We need to reach the city tomorrow otherwise we're not going to last another night"** he whispered to himself. Even though the Barrier keeps out monsters, it can't hold back Razgriz. They could easily smash through the Barrier. The reason why it wasn't attacking now was because it observes it's prey before attacking. He then closed the tent flaps and laid down. He pulled the blankets over him and slowly and uneasily fell asleep.

The next morning, Tsuki and Lynette quickly ate breakfast and packed up their camp. Tsuki did not tell Lynette about what he saw during the night before he fell asleep. After they gathered their things, Tsuki sent out his letter via carrier pigeon and continued to make their way through the forest. They walked around for several hours, climbing over broken trees, backtracking and over small rivers before they noticed a clearly defined path that lead out towards the edge of the forest. It was not part of the path they had been trying to follow as the path seemed to be well taken care of. It seems they found the newly formed path to the city. They walked along the path and after about thirty minutes, they saw what appeared to be an outpost that served as an entrance to Briswater. It appears that they finally found the entrance.

Lynette pointed towards the outpost that was in plain sight. **"Hey! I think we made it!"** she said with excitement. She then took off running down the path towards the outpost. It was a straight shot there.

Just as Lynette ran towards the outpost, a tall black shadow appeared in the brush. It then saw Lynette and immediately ran towards her. It was running at her so fast that it only took it seconds before it was within striking distance. Once it was, the shadow took it's claw and swung at her with no hesitation.

Tsuki let out a sigh of relief when they saw the outpost. **"Finally. Some light at the end of the tunnel"** he said. He made his way towards the outpost, following Lynette. Suddenly, he noticed a familiar shadow quickly approach Lynette. **"Lyn! Watch out!"** he shouted. He then rushed towards her and tackled her to the ground just before the shadow swung it's claws at her. He could feel the force of the swing with the back of his head.

Lynette didn't notice the shadow approach her at all. When she heard him shout out her name, she stopped and was almost immediately tackled to the ground before she could turn around. As she was tackled to the ground, she saw sharp claws take a swing at her where she was standing. She then looked at the monster and knew that it wasn't of the local variety. That means only one thing.**"Is that...Razgriz!?"** she shouted.

The monster looked like a demon with a human-like appearance due to the fact that it can run on two feet. It had red eyes, black fur, razor sharp claws and appeared to be muscular underneath the fur. It was almost like it was originally a human but had changed completely due to being consumed by a massive amount of Mana.

Tsuki quickly got up onto his feet, pulling Lynette up with him and drawing his sword. **"Damn! We were so close too!"** he shouted. The outpost was within running distance so they had to make a run for it. Lynette wasn't as athletic as Tsuki, however, so she would have to make the run first while he held off the Razgriz.

The demon roared so loudly that the trees vibrated. It then took a swing with it's arm and directed it at him. Tsuki quickly blocked the swing with his sword but the blade did not pierce it's skin. In fact, there was a metalic sound on impact as if he hit a stone wall or another blade. He could feel the massive force of the attack as it almost knock him off balance. He wasn't sure why his sword didn't break from the attack.

Tsuki examined the demon's skin and knew why his blade didn't pierce the skin. **"It has stoneskin! Normal weapons will not harm it!"** he shouted. He then looked at Lynette. **"Lyn, get going! I'll hold it off until you get to the outpost!"** he shouted at her.

Lynette didn't want to leave Tsuki behind but there was no other choice. She then nodded hesitantly. **"R-right!"** she said. She then made a mad dash towards the outpost. She looked back towards Tsuki a few moments later and saw him holding off the Razgriz just barely.

By now, the guards at the outpost noticed the Razgriz and had activated a similar barrier to that of the Camping Set only much stronger. **"You two better hurry up! Once this barrier forms, no one can get in!" **one of the guards shouted. The Barrier had surrounded the entire perimeter of the outpost within twenty meters. The guards were standing guard as they were gesturing towards them, telling them to hurry on inside.

Lynette ran inside the Barrier and outpost then turned around, facing Tsuki who was still holding off the Razgriz. **"Come on, Tsuki! Get out of there!"** she shouted at him.

Tsuki kept the demon's attention until Lynette was safe. All he could do was defend and block it's attacks. He did not have the necessary equipment to fight the Razgriz. When he blocked it's last attack, he could see his blade start to crack. One more hit and the blade would shatter. He then heard Lynette shouting from behind him. He took a glance and saw that she was safely in the outpost. It was time for him to start running. He then started his mad dash towards the outpost with the Razgriz chasing him. He could hear it get closer as he ran. It was going to catch up before he got to the Barrier. He had no other choice. He had to distract it. Just then, his sword was enveloped in sparks of electricity. It was as if he was now holding a lightning rod that was just struck by lightning. He then gathered a bit of Aer, struck the sword into the ground and upon impact, created a small electrical explosion. The explosion had temporarily stunned the demon but also forced Tsuki into the barrier and up against the outpost walls. Due to how danger-close it was, he did take some self-inflicted damage but nothing life threatening. His sword did, however, break though as a result. The force of the explosion had broke the blade where the crack was. It did give him the necessary boost to reach safety though. He slid to the ground on impact as his vision started to blur. He continued to watch the Razgriz as it started to move again. It stopped chasing him when he entered the Barrier and gave him a nasty look. After a few moments of staring him down, he then took off back into the forest. That was the last thing he saw before he blacked out into unconsciousness.

**To be continued...**


	10. Chapter 9: Streets of Water

**Tales of Xalthia**

**Chapter 9: Streets of Water**

**T**suki and Lynette have successfully arrived at Briswater, or more specifically, Briswater's outpost which serves as one of the outer entrances to the city. Unfortunately, their journey through the unholy forest didn't go as smoothly as they wanted it to be. Just as they were approaching the outpost, one of the Razgriz demons suddenly came out and attacked them. Lynette made it to the outpost safely, but Tsuki wasn't so lucky. He caused a minor explosion of electric energy to briefly distract the demon so he could reach the outpost but caused some self-inflicted injuries to himself. Upon reaching the safety of the outpost and it's protective barrier, the demon left and hasn't reappeared since.

Tsuki and Lynette have been in the outpost since they arrived. Tsuki was resting in the soldier's barracks while Lynette was healing the injuries that he had inflicted on himself. Thankfully, the injuries were only minor as he was smart enough to use only the amount of Mana needed to distract the Razgriz but not enough to cause severe injuries. He's been unconscious for about an hour since he impacted against the outpost walls and blacked out.

After an hour had passed, Tsuki was finally regaining consciousness. Once he opened his eyes though, his vision was a little blurry. He could barely see anything with his own two eyes. As he was looking around, almost blinded, his vision was slowly starting to come back at him. As his vision was coming back, he heard a girl's voice calling out to him. Just how his vision was blurred, his hearing was also muffled a bit. It was almost like he was blind and deaf. He could barely see or hear but standing next to him was Lynette. She could see that something was wrong with him.

Lynette was looking at Tsuki with a worried expression. He was awake but wasn't responding to her. It was almost like he was in some sort of trance, cut off from the real world. **"Tsuki, are you okay?"** she asked him. She waited for a few moments but still couldn't get a response out of him. She then looked over her shoulder to a man in white robes who appeared to be a doctor. **"Doc, what's wrong with him?"** she asked.

The doctor approached Tsuki and examined him. He then sighed and looked over to Lynette.**"He's fine. Since he was at the center of that explosion of electric energy he caused, his vision and hearing are impaired a bit. The effects aren't permanent, however. If the explosion had more Mana put into it, the results would of been much different though. The effects should wear off pretty soon."** he said. He then walked over to a table with notebooks set out and wrote something in them.

Lynette let out a sigh of relief upon hearing the good news. **"That's good to hear"** she said. She was concerned that they may have been some permanent damage to his body.

After several minutes, Tsuki's vision and hearing cleared up. As he could now see and hear, he noticed that he was in a soldier's barracks. He then covered his face with his hand, groaning a bit.**"Ugh...my head. Where am I?"** he asked, still a bit dazed.

The doctor finished writing his notes then walked back to Tsuki. He then did a short check-up on him to see what his condition was. **"You're in the barracks of Briswater's outpost. That was a pretty foolish thing you did back there, causing an explosion of electric energy with you right in the blast zone"** he said, almost scolding him.

Lynette looked at Tsuki and kept her worried expression. Since he was hurt, it was only natural for her to worry even if he appeared to be just fine. **"You've been unconscious since you got here"**she said. On top of his condition, she was also worried that the demon from before would come back. If normal weapons didn't harm it, then chances are that normal Artes won't either. If they did, then Briswater would of dealt with it already. Instead, they leave it prowling around their forest.

Tsuki looked at Lynette, trying to learn what he has missed. **"I see...at least we got away safely"**he said. He then stood up slowly but stumbled a bit as he did so. He had to use Lynette to keep himself on his feet so he wouldn't tumble over.

The doctor looked at Tsuki and shook his head. **"You really shouldn't be moving around. Your body still hasn't fully recovered from your little stunt"** he said. He advised that Tsuki should remain in bed to fully recover but he knows that isn't possible. He knows what position Tsuki was in since the outpost was informed that they should expect company. He then looked towards the door for a moment. **"Come in, sir"** he said.

Several minutes later, a man in black armor with silver lining walked through the door. He seemed to be a high ranked individual. Although, he didn't appear to be Maxwell because of how young he looked. If he wasn't Maxwell, then who was this person?

The man walked up to Tsuki and Lynette then saluted them. **"First, I like to welcome you to Briswater. I understand that you two met many perils along the way. My name is Frey Ladour. I'm second-in-command of Briswater and work as a liaison for the General"** he said.

Tsuki saluted the man back and tilted his head. **"Thanks for all of your help. We would of been in trouble if it wasn't for you"** he said. He had heard rumors about Maxwell's second-in-command. The rumors were that his second-in-command was Briswater's finest. He was able to single-handedly stall an entire army so that his comrades could escape. His talents were not to be taken lightly.

Frey examined Tsuki and Lynette, studying them for a bit. He wanted to make sure the information he received was accurate. **"We've been expecting you, Tsuki. Although, our intel didn't include anything about this girl. So, mind filling in the blanks?"** he asked. Since no one was aware that Tsuki picked up a traveling partner, it was only natural to be suspicious.

Tsuki looked at Lynette then back at Frey. **"This is Lynette Suzaki. She's my traveling companion. She joined up with me not long after I left Eresseas"** he said. He still hasn't informed anyone that someone has joined up with him on his little journey which was a mistake on his part.

Frey examined Lynette more closely. **"Hmm...I see. Well, who am I to judge who you travel with?"** he asked. He then stepped back and looked at them both. **"So, what do you think of our outpost?"** he asked them both.

Tsuki looked at Frey once he stepped back. **"It sucks. We got lost in the woods, attacked by a bloodthirsty demon and my sword broke"** he said in a jokingly manner. Despite what has happened, he has a great deal of love for Briswater. It's one of his favorite cities on Cayhill.

Frey laughed a bit from his answer. **"Don't you worry. We'll compensate you for your troubles, on behalf of Maxwell. It is our fault that you had to come all the way out here, after all"** he said.

Lynette tilted her head a bit. She just realized something. **"Wait, you said that you were expecting us...well, Tsuki actually. How did you know?"** she asked. Tsuki had already known that Briswater was expecting them but Lynette was unaware of that.

Frey then held up a folded piece of paper with what appeared to have a seal on it. **"We received a letter of notice from Her Highness a few hours ago. She informed us that Tsuki was making his way to our beloved city to request access to Basilwell. I expect you received a seal of approval to reach Maxwell?"** he asked.

Tsuki nodded, reached into his bag and took out a seal. **"Yeah. We were told to give this to the guards when we meet him"** he said before putting the seal away.

Frey nodded when he looked at the seal. **"Yes. That's the seal you need to access his chambers"** he said. He then leaned up against the wall, staring at the two some more.

Tsuki looked at the door before his attention went back to Frey. **"Speaking of which, when can we meet the General? I'd like to get back on track with my mission as soon as possible"** he said. He was sick of being derailed. It was becoming a major bother but it's not like he could do anything about it. Things tend to never go as planned.

Frey went silent for a second then sighed heavily. **"I know you're probably sick of this, but the General is out in the field right now. A problem occurred in one of our mines and the General went to investigate the situation himself"** he admitted. He knew that Tsuki was derailed from his mission. He didn't want to admit it himself but it's true.

Tsuki shook his head and sighed, obviously frustrated. **"Seriously? Man, this is getting a little ridiculous"** he said, annoyed. Now, he had to wait for the mine situation to resolve before speaking with Maxwell. His mission was full of complications.

Lynette rubbed the back of her head, chuckling a bit nervously. **"Wow...fate isn't being kind to us recently. Maybe we just have a ton of bad luck?"** she asked. Once again, another obstacle has occurred that continues to block their path.

Frey had a confused look on his face from both of their reactions. He wasn't aware of the multiple distractions that they had gone through. **"This doesn't come up as much of a surprise. What's happened during your travels anyway?** he asked. He was now quite curious to know what they've gone gone through.

Tsuki and Lynette looked at each other then back at Frey a few moments later. They then started to tell Frey what has happened so far on their journey starting with the whole issue with the Moonlight Flower back in Crescentia. It was quite a story to be told. They talked for almost two hours. It was already lunchtime by the time they finished their story.

Frey listend to their story with interest and ended up a little surprised when they got to their whole ordeal with Prophet Castle. **"Wow. That's quite an unbelievable story. I still can't believe that there are two survivors of the Tomoha Tragedy after so many years have passed. I wish I could give you some answers about that tragedy, but it's above my pay grade"** he said. To discover that Tsuki and his childhood friend, Nagi were living survivors of Tomoha is an incredible feat. Though, it would be best that it remains hidden from the public, for both of their sakes.

Tsuki shook his head and gave a slight smile. **"I appreciate your offer but I want to learn more about the Tomoha Tragedy through my own discoveries. It's personal, so I'm sure you understand"** he said.

Frey held up his hand and nodded. **"Of course. I fully understand your reasons. Tomoha was your hometown, after all. Anyone would want to find answers about their hometown on their own"** he said. He then pushed himself off the wall and headed to the door. **"Alright, let's go out for a change of scenery. I'll show you guys around the city since Maxwell is unavailable at this time"** he said before walked out of the room.

Tsuki and Lynette nodded and followed him out of the room. Since Tsuki still could barely walk, Lynette had to help him walk. The three of them soon left the soldier's barracks. They walked through the outpost until they reached a channel of water that leads into a rather long tunnel. In the water was the prime method of transportation for Briswater: a type of speedboat powered by Water Artes. The roads of Briswater were actually channels of water instead of your average gravel or chiseled stone.

Frey stood in front of the speedboat and faced Tsuki and Lynette. **"This is how we get around the city. Since our roads are canals of water, it makes these types of things handy"** he said. He looked at both of them before setting foot into the boat.

Tsuki already knew about this, unlike Lynette. He's made several trips to Briswater in the past but never actually met any of it's government officials **"It seems that the boats had an upgrade from paddle boats"** he said. Briswater used to be a small, bustling city with no government power of it's own outside of the outer forest. They had no need for speedboats. It was only until two years ago that they had established a fully working government that had power of it's own outside of the city. This was the first time Tsuki had been in Briswater since the new government was formed.

Lynette took in as much information as she could. She had no relations of ties to the governments of Cayhill other than Tsuki. She was never the type to bother with politics of the world.**"Interesting...I had heard about Briswater's geographical location but have never seen it for myself"** she said.

Frey chuckled a bit as the two spoke. **"Well, you could say that Briswater has evolved over the years. Since Briswater resides over sacred grounds, we did our best not to desecrate the holy grounds"** he said. He then leaned down towards the rear of the boat and muttered a few words. Seconds later, the water near the rear started to bubble up as if there was an actual engine in the water. He then stood up, brushed his hands together and looked at the two once more.**"We're ready. Let's begin the tour, shall we?"** he asked. He then sat down and waited for them to get in the boat.

Tsuki and Lynette soon stepped into the boat. Once they sat down, the boat sped off moments later, spewing out a trail of water from behind. A long tunnel system connects the outer outpost to the city. Since the outpost was used strictly by government and military officials, civilians weren't allowed to use this tunnel system except for emergency evacuations. The entrance to the actual city was elsewhere in the forest. They were in the tunnels for about give minutes before sunlight pouted into the tunnel's opening. They were then shot out of the tunnel and found themselves in Briswater's government district. The boat slowed down a bit because they were now within the city. Trees were scattered all around the city and the buildings were laced between trees. The sky was almost blocked by tall trees with massive canopies. Sunlight seeped through the leaves, keeping the city well-lit though until dawn comes when street lights to fill the darkness. Briswater was also known for it's romantic spots. In fact, a lot of couples make the trip to Briswater just to propose or marry.

Frey took Tsuki and Lynette around almost every canal throughout the city. The only place they didn't get to see was an area in the government district that is strictly off-limits to those who aren't granted access. Thankfully, they had no reason for access though. Eventually, they came up to a much larger tunnel system where people were entering and leaving the city.

Frey stopped the boat and held his arm out, pointing in the direction of the tunnel. **"Welcome to Briswater's main entrance. This is where people enter and leave the city, obviously. You guys were quite off from the entrance"** he said. The main entrance was basically on the other side of the city from where the outpost was.

Tsuki gave him a blank look. **"Well, excuse us. Next time, maintain your forest routes so we don't end up somewhere else"** he said. He knew from the moment he saw the outpost in the forest that they were in the wrong place but given their situation back then, they didn't have much of a choice.

Lynette puffed her cheeks out a bit. It was almost like he was mocking them. **"We were chased by a demon while following a forgotten trail. It's not our fault we ended up at the wrong entrance"** she said.

Frey laughed a bit. **"I'm kidding! Boy, tough crowd..."** he said. He then started up the boat again with his Water Artes and continued driving the boat downstream.

It took about two hours to see everything that was needed to be seen. They eventually ended up stopping the boat in front of a large, luxurious building. The sign above the building's entrance said Ritz Hotel. Due to how the building looks, it appears to be a five-star hotel.

Frey stepped off the boat and stretched. Using something simple as basic Water Artes to move the boat for an extended period of time can wear a person out. **"On behalf of Maxwell, he has reserved you a room in our prestigious hotel hotel since he made you come all the way out here. Just tell the clerk your name and they will set you up. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to check in on the General in the mines"** he said.

Feeling the strain of his body gone, he was able to move around on his own again. He then stepped out of the boat and examined the hotel from top to bottom. It was indeed prestigious as he said. **"Thank you for showing us around. A lot of things have changed since I was last here"**he said. He then turned around and held out his hand to Lynette to help her out of the boat.

Lynette looked up, took his hand and climbed out of the boat. She then bowed at Frey. **"We appreciate your help. Tell the general we said good luck"** she said. She then went on to look at the building herself. She had a sparkle of excitement in her eyes. She hasn't been in a five-star hotel so she couldn't wait to go inside.

Frey listened to their words of gratitude and nodded. **"I'll give him the message. I'll be back with an update when one becomes available"** he said. Once the two got out of the boat, he walked back onto it and sat down again. **"Stay out of trouble now"** he added. Moments later, he sped off and disappeared around the corner.

Once Frey was gone, Tsuki and Lynette made their way inside the hotel. They approached the clerk, gave Tsuki's name and were escorted up to the high level floors to one of the wealthy suites. Once they got to their rooms, they walked in and closed the door behind them. The room was quite big. They had a decent-sized living space with two beds and had a great view of the city outside. Part of the walls in the living space was basically glass so it wasn't just a small window. All they could do now was wait for the situation with the mine to be resolved. They couldn't leave the city until they talked to Maxwell. They had no idea how long they had to wait for.

**To be continued...**


	11. Chapter 10: Mine Assault

**Tales of Xalthia**

**Chapter 10: Mine Assault**

**T**wo days without any updates have gone by. The wait was starting to irritate Tsuki. Since he hasn't heard a word from Frey since they got went their separate ways, he can only assume that Maxwell was still inside the mines. They were stuck because they had to meet with him in order to gain entry into the Cavern of Solace, which separates Basilwell with the rest of the continent. Wanting to press on with his mission as soon as possible, Tsuki has tried offering his assistance with Briswater's military but all of his offers were declined. They didn't want Eresseas to get involved in Briswater's internal affairs. Briswater takes secrecy very seriously so it's rare for them to accept any outside help, even if that help came from the royal family. They were undergoing affairs that not even the royal family were aware of which has raised some suspicion with the King and Queen.

As the two waited on Frey to update them on the situation, they used the time they had to themselves to restock on their supplies. Since Tsuki was given plenty of Gald for traveling money when he left Eresseas, they didn't have to worry about running low on money. Then again, Tsuki didn't anticipate finding a traveling companion nor having to go to such extreme lengths just to gain access to Basilwell. He has found everything they could need for their next part of their journey except a replacement sword. As one of the Royal Eight, he tends to be very picky when it comes to swords. He doesn't just go out and buys a new sword from a weapon shop. He needs one that actually suits him. He's been to all of the weapon shops in the city, but hasn't found a decent sword yet. For now, he'll have to make do with a broken blade.

Tsuki and Lynette were in their room of the hotel, going over their options about what they can do to speed the wait up since Briswater officials won't accept their offers for help. Tsuki was pacing back and forth around the living space, trying to think of something while Lynette decided to take a break and take a quick shower to clean herself up. They don't get a lot of chances to properly bathe while they are on the road so she decided to make the best of it. Tsuki was mumbling to himself, looking quite frustrated. He hates waiting for something to happen for this long. He's the type of person who gets impatient really fast when he has to wait.

Tsuki stopped pacing around the room and stood facing the window with his arms crossed as he started to tap the floor with his foot. He tried to calm himself by looking outside the window at the scenic view of the city for several minutes. It wasn't working. **"Agh, where is Frey!?"** he shouted a bit out of frustration.

Lynette came out of the showers in a bathrobe as Tsuki shouted with frustration. She felt relieved since she was able to properly clean herself up. **"Tsuki, you need to calm down. Shouting won't make him appear any faster. Take deep breaths"** she said, trying to calm him. She understands why he was so frustrated but she knew it wouldn't do any good if he tires himself out.

Tsuki sighed heavily and ran his hand through his hair. He knows that he has to keep a cool head.**"I know...I'm sorry. I'm just getting anxious. What could be taking him so long?"** he asked. What problem could a mine have that keeps Maxwell unreachable? Something tells him that whatever is going on in the mines, it wasn't your typical mining accident. Maxwell is someone who handles situations well and manages to finish them pretty quick before they get out of hand. He doesn't understand what's making this particular situation different.

Lynette sat down on the couch and picked up some of the recent news articles. Unfortunately, there was nothing that has been released to the public yet about the mine situation so everyone was left in the dark about what's happening. After she made sure they didn't miss anything in the news articles, she looked back at Tsuki. **"I know this may seem like a lost cause but I think we should go down there ourselves and see what the problem is. The officials here aren't going to tell us anything"** she suggested. It seems that going to the mines themselves is likely their only option they have left besides waiting for who knows how long.

Tsuki continued to have his arms crossed. She did have a point, however. Going down to the mines themselves will prove to be more beneficial to them than just waiting in a room. Then, they could actually see what's going on. However, he wasn't sure because he didn't want to walk into something he wasn't suppose to see and cause a problem with Briswater's military. That would bring a lot of heat down onto the royal family and it wouldn't look good on his part. It was a risk but they had no other choice. They had to go see the mines themselves. Eventually, he turned around and nodded. **"Alright, you got a point. Get dressed and let's get going."** he said.

Lynette nodded and stood up from the couch, stretching a bit. She then walked back into one of the bedrooms and changed out of her bath robe and into some fresh clothes. When she was ready to go, she walked out of the room. **"Okay, let's go."** She then picked up her staff, which was leaning up against the wall and strapped it onto her back then headed for the door.

Before they could leave, they heard a distant explosion. Since the city was encased in a forest, sound travels and echos all throughout the city. Following the explosion, the ground started to shake violently. Picture frames and vases fell off the tables and dressers, furniture was pushed around and the window that overlooked the city had a huge crack in it. The shaking subsided a few moments later. Once they regained their composure, they looked out the window and saw thick, black smoke and fire to the east. If they had to guess, the explosion came from the mines because that's where most of the city's explosives were stored. They didn't know for sure though because they weren't shown where the mines were during their tour.

Lynette was a bit shaken when the explosion came out of nowhere. **"W-what happened!?"** she asked. She was now worried for Frey and Maxwell as well as everyone else who may have been near that explosion.

Tsuki stared out the window in shock. He couldn't believe what just happened. Not only that, there was something about the explosion that wasn't right. **"This isn't good. That was no ordinary explosion. Briswater doesn't have any major explosives like that and C4s and detonators wouldn't of caused such a huge explosion and aftershock"** he said. He then grabbed his broken sword and strapped it to his waist and then headed to the door. **"Come on, we have to go investigate!"** he said.

Lynette looked back at Tsuki and nodded. They then rushed out of their room and headed down to ground level. Several minutes later, they were outside of the hotel. They could see people screaming and ran in panic. Some were even hurt and killed by falling debris that was caused by the aftershock. They could see officials trying to calm everyone down and tend to the injured. If they were going to get to the mines, they were going to need a speed boat and someone to drive the boat. Luckily, they saw a guard that they recognized from the outpost they were at before. Since the guard knew who they were, he agreed to take them to the mines. Moments later, they got on the speed boat and they took off and headed towards the east.

After about a ten minute ride, they made it to the mines. Outside of the mines, people who appeared to be miners and military officials were scattered everywhere. Some people were being treated on the spot while others were being carried out from the mines due to severe injuries or because they were dead. There was a mass commotion going around and the military was doing their best to calm people down here as well. They could see a cloud of smoke and dust coming out from the entrance as well as the same thick black smoke they saw from the hotel further back which indicates that the explosion came from deep in the mines.

Tsuki and Lynette got off the boat, thanked the guard who took them to the mines and then made their way into the chaos. People were covered in dust and rock. It was almost like they rolled in sand. Some couldn't even open their eyes because of it. Whether the explosion was an accident or not was a mystery for everyone at this point. Due to the intensity of the explosion, some think it was a terrorist attack which could explain the mass gathering of military officials. As they walked through the chaos, they came up to what appears to be a small command center inside a tent. When they tried to approach it to see what was going on, they were stopped by a soldier who was standing guard.

The soldier saw Tsuki and Lynette approach the command center and stepped in front of them, blocking their path. Due to the circumstances, it was only natural to be suspicious about people especially people who weren't from around the area. **"Halt. Civilians aren't allowed past this point"** the soldier said.

Tsuki shook his head then reached into his bag and took out Maxwell's seal. He wasn't sure if this would work but this was the only thing he could think of to gain access to the command center.**"We're not civilians. We came here to speak with General Maxwell. My name is Tsuki Himura, representative of the royal family and Basilwell's Overseer. This is my traveling companion, Lynette Suzaki"** he said. Hopefully, showing them Maxwell's seal will clear up any misunderstandings on who they were.

The soldier examined the seal carefully to make sure it wasn't a fake. He's seen a lot of fake Maxwell seals in his day. Once he confirmed that it wasn't a fake by comparing it to a preexisting photo of Maxwell's seal, he nodded. **"Alright, you're clear. Go on through"** he said. The soldier then stepped aside to allow them into the command center.

Tsuki and Lynette walked into the tent-covered command center where people were discussing strategy and giving out orders. They seem to be organizing a search-and-rescue team for the mines, which wasn't surprising given the situation. Unfortunately, Maxwell or Frey were not among the people in the command center. They were then approached by someone who appeared to be in charge of this whole operation due to his uniform. By examining his uniform, he appeared to be another one of Generals.

The man walked up to Tsuki and Lynette with a more friendly attitude than the soldier outside. He seemed to know who they were already. **"Ah, you must be our royal visitors. I apologize that we had to meet under these conditions. I am Kurama Wolfe, a General of Briswater's military. I would like to welcome you to our city but given our situation right now, I feel like that's inappropriate"** he said.

Tsuki shook his head. **"It couldn't be helped. You clearly have a situation on your hands, after all. My name is Tsuki Himura and this is Lynette Suzaki"** he said. He then took the time to look around the command center a bit more. Everyone was in a state of panic and distress. **"Speaking of situations, what's going on here? What was that huge explosion?"** he asked, wanting to get to the point.

Kurama examined Tsuki and Lynette carefully as he introduced them. **"It's an honor to meet someone of the Royal Eight"** he said. When Tsuki asked his question, he sighed heavily. **"As you know, there was an explosion deep within our mines. We do not know if the explosion was caused by a mining accident or if it was intentional. We're working on getting as many people out of the mines as possible so we can go investigate"** he said.

Lynette tilted her head a bit. Frey and Maxwell were suppose to be here at the mines but they haven't seen them at all. Were they part of the rescue team too and that they just happened to miss them? **"What about Maxwell and Frey? We haven't seen them yet"** she said. The explosion made her concerned for their safety.

Kurama fell silent for a minute before letting out another heavy sigh. **"About that...we lost contact with Maxwell two days ago. When Frey came back to report in after showing you two around the city, he was informed that Maxwell went MIA inside the mines. He then rushed off into the mines to search for him. In the end, we also lost contact with him. We were forming a search party for them when that explosion went off"** he explained with a heavy heart. He didn't want to think of the negative outcome. He tried to have hope.

Tsuki listened to was Kurama had to say and was a bit in shock. Maxwell wasn't someone who would just go missing out of the blue. He was not only concerned about Maxwell and Frey but what was also lying dormant in the mines as well. There was still lethal ordinance scattered throughout Briswater's underground tunnels. Explosives that were left behind during the War of Mana. Back then, explosives were much more powerful than the modern day ones they have now. Over the past one-hundred years, explosives downgraded in power and intensity. If those explosives were to go off at once, Briswater could suffer heavy losses with half its city wiped out.

Tsuki was silent for several minutes, trying to grasp the situation. There was no easy way around it. Something had to be done about those explosives and finding Maxwell and Frey in the mines. There was only one option. He then looked up at Kurama with a serious look. **"Allow me to search the mines for Maxwell and Frey. There may be a way for me to disable those explosives as well"** he said.

Lynette looked at Tsuki, not even the least bit surprised. She knew he would ask something like this. However, she still couldn't help but worry about his decision. **"Tsuki, are you sure about this?** she asked.

Kurama was surprised when Tsuki was actually willing to go down into the mines. **"Are you mad? Those mines are a ticking time bomb. There are left over explosives from the War of Mana that lay dormant and could go off anytime. Not only that, monsters infest the unexplored regions of the mine"** he said.

Tsuki nodded without hesitation. Despite the huge risk, he had to help. Hundreds of lives were at risk and he couldn't ignore that. There had to be a way to diffuse the explosives. If he could accomplish just that, he would feel a lot better. **"I can't just sit by and pretend nothing is happening. Please, allow me to enter the mines"** he insisted.

Kurama thought about his dangerous request. After several minutes of thinking, he agreed to let him help. **"Alright. I'll inform the guards by the mines. We lost contact with them on Sublevel Three. Use the lifts inside the mines to reach there"** he said.

Tsuki nodded and turned to face Lynette. **"Lyn, you stay here. You'll be safer here"** he said. He didn't want to expose Lynette to a dangerous situation. Prophet Castle was one thing but the mines were different.

Lynette shook her head. She refused to sit and wait. **"No way. I'm going with you. We're a team, remember? Besides, you'll be needing my help if someone gets injured"** she said. She knew that Tsuki means well but he gets involved with things that are over hie head. If his assault on Prophet Castle wasn't over his head, then this search in an explosive mine definitely counts.

Tsuki was hesitant to let her come with but he had no time to debate with her. **"Alright. We better get a move on then. The longer we wait, the longer we risk those explosives going off"** he said. Without further delay, he took off running out of the command center and headed towards the mines.

Lynette followed Tsuki out towards the minds. People were still coming out of the mines. Just how many people were left and who else was trapped? They would find out soon enough though. As they approached the mines, they were stopped by Kurama, who had followed them from the command center.

Kurama ran up to Tsuki and Lynette, stopping them at the entrance. **"Wait a minute!"** he shouted. He stopped several steps behind them, carrying a blue sheet of paper. **"Here, take this with you. It's the map of the mines. I'll help you find your way around"** he said. He handed Tsuki the blue paper.

Tsuki turned and took the map. **"Thanks. We'll find them and find a way to stop those explosives from going off"** he said. The longer they waited, the more concerned he got. No one knows what lies in the unexplored regions of the mines so everything in those areas are unpredictable.

Kurama nodded. **"Come back to us safely. If something were to happen to you, we'll get a lot of heat from the royal family"** he said. He didn't want to be the one to tell the royal family that Tsuki became a casualty in Briswater's affairs.

Tsuki nodded at him. **"Don't you worry. We'll be fine. Just keep your healers ready, just in case. We'll help out anyone who's still trapped in the mines"** he said. He then turned around and ran into the mines.

Lynette followed Tsuki into the mines. Inside the mines were many different types of ores and minerals that were yet to be mined. There were colored crystals throughout the walls. There was also a rail system for carts to transport materials mined throughout the explored regions. There were multiple paths they could take so they had to be careful to not get lost.

They eventually made it to their first lift which took them down to Sublevel One. They used the map that was given to them to find where the next lift was. Once they figured out where it was on the map, they followed the path that led to the lift. Even in the explored regions of the mines, there were still monsters roaming around but there weren't a lot of them. Since there weren't many monsters, they didn't have many problems wiping them out as they made their way into the depths of the mine.

After following the designated path to the lift , they eventually came up to the second lift. They called up the lift but just as the lift came up the shaft and came to a stop, the shaft that the lift was in caved in, destroying the lift. The cave-in was probably due to the aftershock that happened before. Ever since the aftershock, the mine has been becoming increasingly unstable.

Once the lift crashed into the ground at the bottom of the shaft, Tsuki took another look at the map. Unfortunately, there was no other lift on the level they were on besides the one they came down on. **"Damn, looks like we're gonna have to take the long way around"** he said.

Lynette sighed. **"This is just great. What else can go wrong?"** she asked. She took a look at the map Tsuki was holding to see what path he was referring too. She looked at the path he was pointing to. They really had no other choice.

Tsuki looked at the map once more. There was another way down but they would have to walk to Sublevel Three from here. **"Well, we're not going to get anywhere by standing around. Let's get moving"** he said.

Tsuki and Lynette started their walk through the mine shaft. After about thirty minutes, they came up to a warning sign that was drilled into the cave walls. The sign said that there was no entry permitted beyond this point. That means that they have reached the unexplored regions of the mine. They didn't know what to expect so they had to be careful. One thing's for sure though. They had to take out the explosives before another explosion goes off. Even if they find Maxwell and Frey, they couldn't leave until they were sure that all the explosives were disabled.

**To be continued...**


	12. Chapter 11: Ancient Secret

**Tales of Xalthia**

**Chapter 11: Ancient Secret**

**T**suki and Lynette had entered the mines that ran underneath Briswater in search for General Maxwell and his second-in-command, Frey who had gone missing days before. They were also tasked with finding a way to permanently disable any and all explosives that were at risk of detonating. The further down they traveled into the mines, the more dangerous the terrain became. With all of the aftershocks, some of the support pillars have become unstable or have already collapsed, leaving the structure of the main completely unstable. One strong aftershock and the entire mine could come down, trapping them underground. The depths of the mines were a dangerous place to be.

Throughout their travels deep into the mines, they've had an abnormally high encounter rate of monsters. Normally, the monster activity in the mines were about average. However, that's not the case this time. Something was different about the mines. As they traveled, they both got a vibe that something was very different. The air became heavier and sometimes, it was hard to breath and the atmosphere was slowly changing. They blew it off, thinking that it was normal for the air to become heavy because they were miles underground.

As they pushed deeper into the mines, they came up to a large chamber. The chamber walls had ancient murals and script etched into the walls. No one knew who or when the murals or scripts were made. All they know is that the murals depict some sort of catastrophic event and the script writing either explains what's going to happen in the future or something that's already happened. They couldn't tell because the script was written in a long forgotten language. Throughout all of Briswater's history, scientists and archaeologists have only been able to decipher a small portion of the script.

Tsuki walked into the large chamber and looked around the massive space. It was as if he walked into some old museum. **"Wow, what is all this?"** Some kind of prophecy?" he asked. The chamber was so large that even the faintest noise would reverberate around the chamber.

Lynette walked up behind Tsuki and looked around as well. She then walked up to the chamber walls and ran her hand across the murals and script. She could tell that the murals were hundreds, if not, thousands of years old. **"They look really old. I wonder who made them"** she said.

Tsuki continued to examine the walls until they came up to the large mural with what appeared to be a giant fireball crashing down from the skies. It almost looks like a meteor but something about it was different. Then, it hit him. The mural reminded him of the stories he was told when he was still a Royal Eight apprentice. **"You know, this reminds me of the War of Mana"** he said, pointing to the fireball mural.

Lynette turned around and approached the mural Tsuki was looking at. She then examined it herself. She made the connection as well. **"You're right. Look, you can see Efreet, Undine, Gnome and Sylph gathering their energy!"** she said. She then pointed to the blue, red, green and brown figures above the fireball.

Tsuki walked closer to the mural to take a closer look and ran his hand over the ancient script under the mural. As he did so, he had a strange flash go off in his mind. He was getting flashes of images from the past before his time. Just then, he could make out part of the script that wasn't deciphered yet. **"Divine...Retribution"** he asked himself. Just then, the script mysteriously lit up. Seconds later, they felt the ground shake again.

Lynette lost her balance from the sudden violent shaking and fell onto the the ground. The shaking felt like another explosion going off. **"Another explosion!?"** she shouted. It couldn't be an explosion, however. If it was, the sound of it would travel through the entire mine plus they would of felt sudden explosion before they felt the aftershock.

Tsuki looked like he was in some sort of trance. His body was there but his mind wasn't. He continued to receive flashbacks of the past. The flashbacks were centered around a male around his age from over a hundred years ago. More specifically, around the time period of which the War of Mana took place. He could make this out because there were flashbacks from the war occasionally. _**"What's going on? What are these images?"**_ he thought. It felt like his consciousness was pulled into some strange space filled with flashbacks.

Out of nowhere, a strange and unfamiliar voice started to speak. It was the voice of a young male.**"So, you've finally arrived. It's been over a hundred years. I was beginning to wonder if you would show or not"** the voice said.

Tsuki opened eyes and found that he was in an empty space. He was no longer in the mines.**"What is this place? Who are you?"** he asked the voice. He didn't understand what was going on. How did he get into this strange space?

Just then, a projected image of the voice formed in the space. It was the boy from his flashbacks.**"So, you're my descendant. Yes...this could work"** the boy said. The boy had brown hair while wearing knight's armor with a gold Phoenix in the center of the chest piece.

Tsuki took a stance, thinking that the murals were some sort of elaborate trap. He didn't know what else to think. **"I'll ask again...who are you? What is this place?"** he demanded. He didn't like where this was going. He couldn't fight something he doesn't understand because it would be a losing battle.

The boy shook his head. **"Don't be so alarmed. You are in a divine space that links the past to the present. This place is called the Spiritual Bridge. As for my name, you'll learn soon enough"**he said. He was quite mysterious.

Tsuki kept his stance open, not believing a word the boy said. **"Spiritual Bridge? What are you talking about about!?"** he shouted. He wanted answers. There was just no way he could explain it to himself even if he did have some understanding about what's going on.

The boy started to float around the space. **"Here, you can view the mistakes of the past from their perspective point of views. All will be explained to you down the road"** he said. He was almost speaking in riddles. He wasn't making hardly any sense to Tsuki.

Tsuki had a confused expression on his face then he dropped his stance but kept his guard up.**"You're not making any sense. Mistakes of the past? What do you mean?"** he asked.

Just then, an image of a strange door started to form. The door looked very old just by design alone. It wasn't like anything Tsuki has ever seen before. The boy then hovered over to the image.**"Find this door. All that you need to know will be answered then"** the boy said.

Tsuki examined the image closely. **"This door? What's so special about it? I'm not about to go on a global search for some ancient door"** he said. He didn't have time to search for some door nor did he want to. It had nothing to do with him.

The boy hovered over to Tsuki and placed his hand on his shoulder. **"You don't need to go far to find the door. You'll know when you find it. You have no idea what your lineage is"**he said. The boy then tapped Tsuki's chest then soon disappeared in a burst of light.

Tsuki was blinded for a bit and when he opened his eyes again, he was back in the mines. The shaking had slowly dissipated and Lynette was still on the ground. For some reason, no time has passed for some reason while Tsuki was in the Spiritual Bridge. He had no understanding or explanation of what just happened. He was in disbelief. **"What...was that?"** he asked himself.

Lynette shook her head and slowly stood up. **"There was no explosion...an earthquake, maybe?"** she said, trying to explain the ground shaking. She has no idea what Tsuki just went through. In her eyes, nothing abnormal happened besides the violent shaking.

Tsuki was in his trance for several minutes. He didn't even acknowledge the quake. Whatever just happened to him was unexplainable. He had too much on his mind to think about so he didn't think about it too much. He looked around the chamber once things settled down. Besides a few falling rocks from the ceiling, there was no damage to the chamber. Not wanting to make Lynette worry, he pretended that he felt the sudden quake as well.

As Tsuki observed the damages to the chamber, he noticed that the mural of the giant fireball was glowing faintly. **"What's going on? That wasn't glowing before"** he said. Was that strange vision linked to the mural?

Lynette looked up at the mural and examined it. Was there some sort of mechanism behind the mural? There were no drafts or cracks in the wall so there was no way to check. **"Is this connected to the quake?"** she asked. Just then, she heard the sound of someone moaning in pain. **"Tsuki, listen! I hear someone!"** she said.

They both went silent for several moments to try and figure out where the moaning sounds were coming from. Soon, they heard the sounds coming from a tunnel that wasn't there before. The walls didn't look like they collapsed so it was almost like there was a hidden doorway of stone.

Tsuki approached the tunnel cautiously. **"Hello!? Is someone there!?"** he shouted. He waited several moments before he heard a very weak cry for help. Someone was severely injured in the tunnel. He then looked back at Lynette. **"This way! Someone's hurt!"** he said. He then took off running down the tunnel.

Lynette followed closely behind him as she followed him down the tunnel. It didn't take them long enough to reach a familiar face who was on the ground up against the cave wall. It was a wounded Frey. They found him about two minutes into the tunnel. He had wounds that weren't from some mine accident. Rather, he had wounds that you would receive from a losing fight.

Tsuki ran up to Frey and got down onto his knees next to him. He then nudged him gently. **"Frey! Are you okay!?"** he asked. He was now on full alert. Knowing Frey's history on the battlefield, he is a man that doesn't go down easy. He had several slash wounds and one deep slash wound that went down his back. No normal fighter or common terrorist could inflict such serious wounds to a war hero.

Lynette caught up to Tsuki and saw the condition Frey was in. **"Oh my god! Frey!?"** she shouted. She quickly ran up to them and immediately started to heal his wounds. His wounds were serious but not life-threatening, thankfully. She shouldn't have a problem healing him.

It took Lynette several minutes to fully heal his wounds. They waited in silence and anticipation for Frey to regain consciousness. This wasn't just a normal terrorist attack or mine accident anymore. If this was a team effort, there would be bodies of fallen terrorists or monsters all over the mines but they haven't ran into any bodies yet. They had to wait to get their questions answered. Eventually, Frey started to regain consciousness.

Frey groaned weakly as his vision was slowly returning. When his vision fully came back to him, , he saw Tsuki and Lynette standing over him. **"Ugh...Tsuki? Lynette? What are you doing here...? I thought I told you not to come..."** he said. He was trying to regain his composure and tried to figure out what happened to him.

Tsuki saw Frey wake up and ask a question. He still seemed out of it as he was still trying to connect the dots. **"We came to help. We heard you went missing in the mines when you went to look for Maxwell"** he said. He was more curious to know how he got his injuries.

Frey thought back and remembered a few things. **"Ah...that's right. I came to the mural chamber in search for Maxwell when I saw an uncharted tunnel. I started to follow it when..."** he said before stopping himself. Suddenly, the rest of his memories came back to him.**"That's right! I was attacked out of the blue!"** he said. Just then, a jagged rock broke off the ceiling above them and came crashing down.

Tsuki heard the cracking as he looked up and saw the rock coming down above them. He quickly drew his broken sword and sliced the rock in half then knocked the separate pieces away. He landed back on the ground and looked at his sword. Shards of the broken blade were broken off. He put his sword back on his waist then looked at Lynette. **"We need to get him to the chamber. That's the most stable place in here"** he said.

Lynette looked up at Tsuki as she was finishing patching Frey up in bandages. **"He's stable to move but let's be careful. We don't want his wounds opening up"** she said. She then slowly helped up him on his feet, throwing his arm around her. **"I'll help walk him out. You watch our backs"** she said.

Tsuki nodded and then they slowly made their way back to the chamber of murals. Thankfully, they weren't far from the chamber so it wasn't a long walk back. They made it back into the chamber after a few minutes of backtracking. The mural of the fireball was still giving off a faint glow. Lynette then set Frey on the floor against the wall slowly.

Frey slowly sat down in the chamber and leaned up against the wall, looking up at Lynette and Tsuki. **"Ah...thank you, Lynette"** he said. He then noticed that the mural of the fireball was glowing. **"That mural...why is it glowing? That's never happened before"** he said.

Tsuki shook his head. He was hoping Frey would know the answer to that. **"I don't know. It started to glow after the last quake"** he said. He then rubbed his forehead and took a deep breath. **"More importantly, who attacked you? It was no common fighter. That much is obvious, given your history on the battlefield"** he said.

Frey shook his head and thought back. **"That's right...a man with excellent skills with an axe in heavy armor with a red lining attacked me from behind. It was like nothing I've ever seen. He felt...inhumane. I don't think he even was a human"** he said, hinting a bit of fear in his voice.

When Tsuki picked up on Frey's slight fear, it dawned on him. This was coming from someone who single-handedly fought off an entire army. Frey does not scare easily. **"Someone who wasn't human, huh?"** he said. There was more added danger to the mines now. Tsuki wasn't as skilled as Frey was so he knew that if they encounter this person, they would not survive.

Frey grabbed Tsuki's arm and held it tightly. **"Please...you need to save Maxwell. He told me that there was a similar chamber directly below us. That's where he went when I lost contact with him"** he said, pleading for his help. He was far too weak to go any further into the mine on his own.

Tsuki put his hand over his and nodded. **"Leave it to us. We'll find him"** he assured him. So, there was another large chamber. He wonders what's in the other chamber. Was it another chamber of murals? The person who attacked Frey still lingered in his mind. He was more concerned now for Maxwell's safety. If Frey was defeated in battle, then Maxwell could be the next to fall.

Frey released his arm and nodded. **"Thank you. Please be careful. That man appeared to be heading there too. Stay away from him at all times. If you value your life, do not engage him in battle"** he warned them. He didn't want them to encounter the man who defeated him in battle. He shouldn't even be alive.

Tsuki nodded at Frey then looked at Lynette. **"Let's get going"** he said. He was worried about bumping into the person who defeated Frey but he couldn't allow that to stop him and make him retreat, leaving the job undone. He was having trouble fighting monsters with a broken sword. Fighting someone with that much strength would be suicide.

Lynette looked at Tsuki, not wanting to leave him by himself. **"What about Frey? We can't just leave him here!"** she said. Frey was in no condition to defend himself if monsters came and attacked nor was in any shape to flee. She didn't want to leave Frey by himself.

Frey shook his head. **"Don't worry about me. I'm in radio range from the command center. I'll call in some help. Now go before it's too late"** he said, pointing down the tunnel that they just came from. Maxwell and the mystery fighter had a decent head start from Tsuki and Lynette so they had a lot of catching up to do. Stalling would just make it worse.

They took a moment to think about their options then nodded after a few moments. Soon after, they took off running down the uncharted tunnel. Since the map didn't have this tunnel marked, they were running blind. However, they didn't care. Both Maxwell and the mystery fighter took the same path so it had to lead somewhere. They needed to press on before anything else happens. They saved Frey so now they have to save Maxwell. They still haven't found where the explosives were as well so that's still a problem. They can only hope that their problems are on the last sub-level of the mines.

**To be continued...**


	13. Chapter 12: Shadow Knight and Envoy

**Tales of Xalthia**

**Chapter 12: Shadow Knight and Envoy**

**T**suki and Lynette continued to push their way further into the mines of Briswater as time continued to tick. Before they knew it, they found themselves on Sublevel Three, the deepest part of the mines. It would seem that the tunnel they took from the previous chamber where they found the injured Frey was a secret pathway that led directly to the deepest parts of the mines. To their relief, the large chamber that was identified by Frey was marked on their map so they didn't have to go searching every tunnel. However, it took them a while to find themselves on the map since they took an unmarked pathway. When they did, they realized that they were on the other side of the mines, the opposite direction from where the other chamber was.

As they followed the winding tunnels, they ran into monsters that were a bit stronger than the previous levels of the mines. The deeper they went into the mines, the harder the fights became. It doesn't help when Tsuki still has a broken sword either. With Lynette's healing abilities, however, Tsuki was able to fight. There was very little he could do with a broken sword, however. One thing's for sure, he has to find a new sword before they finally depart from Briswater. He won't survive in the wild with a broken blade for very long, even with Lynette's healing. Thankfully, they saw no signs of the person who attacked Frey. That was their major concern.

Finally, they reached their destination after about forty-five minutes of traversing through the mines. They found the large chamber that Maxwell was said to be at. Unlike the first chamber, there weren't very many murals on the chamber walls. There was one thing that stood out in the chamber, though. There was a massive door that appeared to be very old due to it's design. It stretched from the cave floor to the ceiling. There was no clear way to open the door either. By the looks, it appeared to be just a wooden slab etched into the chamber walls.

Tsuki walked into the chamber and looked around. It was exactly like the upper chamber; it was completely empty. There was no sign of Maxwell or that unknown fighter that took down Frey. The only thing they could see was a massive door with an unexplained origin. The chamber was a little dark so they didn't have much light to use. Most of the torches that were on the walls had either been blown out or burned out. The only torches that were still lit were the ones by the massive door.

Tsuki was becoming aggravated. He felt like they were playing hide-and-seek and were losing.**"Agh, come on! This is getting ridiculous!"** he said. It was possible that they could of missed Maxwell because there were more tunnels that connected to this chamber. They could of walked past him and didn't even notice. However, they could go no further. This chamber was where all the tunnels connect to. There were no other levels to the mines. They were at a dead end.

Lynette scratched her head, trying to figure out what they should do now. She then walked up to the massive door and took one of the torches off the wall then walked around the chamber. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a wooden door on the left side of the chamber. **"Tsuki, look! There's a door. Where do you think it leads?"** she asked, pointing to it.

Tsuki looked towards the door that Lynette had pointed to. He then took another look at the map but didn't see any other pathway. Where did that door lead to? **"I'm not sure. It's not marked on the map. Let's go take a look"** he said. He then started to approach the door but before he got close to it, he saw the door open. Moments later, a man with spiky brown hair in gold armor with a heavy-looking axe strapped to his back came out from the shadows. He looked much older than Frey, probably in his mid-forties.

The man that walked out from the shadows approached Tsuki and Lynette and gave them a cold, displeasing stare. He appeared as if he didn't welcome them at first. **"What are civilians doing this deep in our mines? Can't you see that we're facing a crisis right now?"** he asked. Being this deep in the mines has made communication with the surface impossible. He has no idea what's happening up on the surface.

Tsuki approached the man and took out Maxwell's seal. **"My name is Tsuki Himura. This is my partner, Lynette Suzaki. I've come here from Eresseas under the orders of the royal family to speak with General Maxwell about Basilwell"** he said. After showing the man the seal, he then examined him closely. It took him a few moments to figure out who he was. **"By the looks of your armor, am I safe to assume that you're Maxwell?"** he asked.

The man examined the seal that Tsuki had shown him. After several moments of study, he nodded. **"Ah, so you're our royal overseer. Forgive me for my earlier rudeness. As you can see, a lot has been happening. You are indeed correct, however. My name is Lucas Maxwell, but everyone either calls me General or Maxwell. I'd like to express my sincere apologies to you for having to come this far out as such short notice"** he said. If it wasn't for the murders of his own people, he wouldn't of had to lock down Basilwell. About a week has gone by and they still have no suspects.

Tsuki shook his head. **"It's no problem. I've gotten stronger on this journey, anyway so I don't particularly mind. Anyway, we need to leave. There's a dangerous person these mines that brought down Frey in a fight and he said he was coming this way. You need to get out of here before-" **he said before he was interrupted.

Just then, they heard heavy footsteps echo into the large chamber followed by a deep, menacing voice. **"A dangerous person, you say?"** the voice asked. Out of the darkness that filled the tunnels behind them, a figure in pitch black armor carrying a katana mixed with black and purple coloring walked into the chamber. He gave off a very dark and powerful aura that was almost too much to bear for the average person.

Maxwell could feel the incredible power coming from the black knight. It was so strong that it felt like it was crushing his body. However, he was stronger than he looks so he almost immediately adapted to the aura. **"Damn...what power! Is he even human? I assume you're the one defeated Frey"** he said, fighting back the menacing power as best he could. Even for Maxwell, the fight will not be easy if one breaks out.

The knight continued his slow approach to them, almost as if he was walking in slow motion. He was enjoying that they were struggling to stand up against his might. **"Assume what you want"** he said. He then looked over at Tsuki and Lynette and gave them a smug look. He then noticed that something was different about Tsuki. **"You...can you really be...?"** he asked himself. He shook his head then looked back at Maxwell. **"I've come to stop you. You're tampering with forces that are far beyond your common knowledge. I cannot allow you to go any further"** he said. He glanced over at the strange looking door before looking back at Maxwell.

Tsuki struggled to his feet but had trouble standing up straight. He then looked at Lynette, who was lying on the ground then at Maxwell who was on one knee. His focus then went onto the knight.**"What knowledge are you talking about? What's so important that you'd attack the mine?"** he said, trying to act strong. In truth, he was actually a bit intimidated because of his power.

The knight stopped and looked at Tsuki once more with an interested grin on his face. **"So, you're able to stand while my Suppression Arte is in effect. You would be a worthy opponent...if you were stronger than you are now"** he said. He still couldn't shake the fact that something was different about Tsuki. He then continued his approach towards Maxwell and stopped within feet of Maxwell. He held his katana up with the tip to his neck. **"The forces beyond this door are not meant for those of this world"** he said. He then lifted his katana up and got ready to swing down over his head.

They were all helpless. The knight's powerful Suppression Arte has basically left them all immobilized. Just as the knight started to swing down, they heard what sounded like a gunshot come from the tunnels. The bullet shot out of the darkness but started to slow down a bit once it came into the knight's Arte, losing it's power and lethality. However, when the bullet came in contact with the knight's armor, the bullet suddenly exploded.

The knight heard the bullet go off but didn't react to it because he knew that the bullet would come to a complete halt in his Arte. He didn't expect the bullet to explode, however. The explosion dealt some damage to the knight since the explosion happened point blank. **"Agh! Who dares!?"** the knight yelled, turning around and facing the tunnels. The explosion caused the Suppression Arte to dissipate.

A man soon came out of the darkness with a hun and broadsword in light, hunter's clothing. **"You talk too much, my friend. You've sure led me on a wild goose chase to hunt you down"** the man said. He seems to know the knight but how much does he know? In fact, where did he come from? The guards from the surface should of regulated who comes into the mines and the only people Tsuki and Lynette have seen in the mines are Maxwell, Frey and the black knight that stands before them.

The knight saw the man who walked into the chamber and immediately recognized him. **"You...I should of known. I see that fool of a king has finally taken some action. So, what are you going to do now, mercenary?"** the knight asked the man.

The man stopped within feet from the knight. **"Yes, I have a kill/capture order on you from the King of Ersheath himself. You've left quite a trail of misery in your wake which made it easy to track you down"** the man said. He wasn't a native of Cayhill. It's a mystery on how he even got onto the lands of Ca

yhill without permission from the royal family of Eresseas themselves.

The knight chuckled a bit. **"So, that foolish king wants to get rid of me, eh? He'll have to do a whole lot better than to send an Envoy" **he said, taunting the man. He then heard footsteps behind him. When he turned around, he saw Tsuki, LYnette and Maxwell stand up and regain their composure.** "You three just don't know when to give up, do you?" **he asked.

Tsuki rubbed his head and shook it. Afterwards, he looked up at the knight and saw the man who joined up with them. **"I don't know what's going on here, but I won't let you have your way. If you have a kill/capture order on you from a king on another continent, then you're obviously a danger to the public. I will not let you roam these peaceful lands of Cayhill"** he said, getting in an attack stance. He wasn't confident to fight the knight with a broken blade but he can't let the knight go, seeing how dangerous he is.

Maxwell stood up and took his axe off his back, getting ready to attack. **"He's right. You are a threat to Cayhill and quite possible, other nations. I'm afraid I can't permit you to roam these lands either. Someone of your caliber will be dealt with, accordingly"** he said. He can't let someone as dangerous as this knight to roam free.

Lynette stood up and held her staff close to her chest. She wasn't as confident as Tsuki or Maxwell, but she couldn't back down in front of them. That wouldn't make her look good. **"We may not be able to do much, but they have a point. Someone as strong as you has the power to break our balance of peace. We can't allow that to happen"** she said, trying to act strong.

The man then lifted up his gun and pointed it at the knight. He had his finger on the trigger, ready to fire. Since his Suppression Arte wasn't in effect, his bullet will have it's full effect. **"So, what are you going to do? Four against one doesn't seem like good odds to me"** he said.

The knight took a moment to consider his options. The only real threat to him was the mercenary. The other three were no match for him but having reinforcements in the fight could prove troublesome. **"Tch, guess I'll retreat for now. Next time, you won't be so lucky"** the knight said. He then took one last look at Tsuki. **"You better watch your back, boy. There are so many things about you that you have yet to realize"** the knight added. Just then, the knight disappeared in stream of light. It appears that he teleported out of the mines.

The man twirled his gun before putting it in it's holster that was on his right thigh and then strapped his sword to his back. **"Yeah, that's what I thought"** he said. He then approached Tsuki, Lynette and Maxwell. **"Are you guys okay?"** he asked them.

Tsuki looked at the an and nodded. **"We're fine, thanks to you. You came at the right time"** he said. He then held his hand out for a handshake. **"The name's Tsuki Himura. This is my partner, Lynette Suzaki and Lucas Maxwell, a General of Briswater"** he said as he introduced the group.

The man looked down at his hand then stretched his arm out and shook his hand. **"Nice to meet you folks. My name's Ramza Tokatsu. As you heard, I'm a mercenary who works under the King of Ersheath...an Envoy, so to speak"** he said.

Lynette tilted her head, scratching her cheek. **"Isn't Ersheath directly north of Nargelond? What are you doing here?"** she asked. She isn't to familiar with the other continents outside of Cayhill. She has never been off Cayhill so there wasn't much she knows about the world's geography.

Ramza nodded. **"Correct. I came all this way to Cayhill to hunt down that knight under orders of the King. I've been hunting him down for almost two months when the trail finally picked up. To think he would come to a neutral nation though was to be expected though since other nations can't freely walk upon these lands. He won't get far though. I can always track him down again. What are you all doing this far into these mines?"** he asked.

Lynette placed her staff on her back once things calmed down. **"We came to search for Frey and Maxwell and also stop the explosives from going off"** she said. She then took a look around and realized that the explosives there were in danger were going off were already disabled.

Maxwell looked at Lynette and gave her a satisfied smile. **"You don't have to worry about the explosives. I already handled that"** he said. Since Maxwell was an expert in explosives and machinery, disabling century old explosives was an easy task.

Tsuki was relieved to hear that Maxwell had disabled the explosives. That was one headache they didn't have to deal with. **"Okay, with that problem out of the way, I have a question before I talk to you about Basilwell"** he said. He then looked towards the strange door. **"What purpose does this door serve? It looks ancient"** he said.

Maxwell looked at the door then at Tsuki. **"Oh, that. We don't have all the details yet. I'm sure that you've seen ancient script on the walls throughout the mines, right? Legend has it that there are several doors like this one on each continent. These doors are said to be connected to the sealed home of the Ancients"** he said.

Ramza looked at the door and recognized it after examining it. **"Come to think o fit, I've seen a similar door in the Kingdom of Ersheath. It's deep within it's faults. You say it leads to the Ancients?"** he asked, having his curiosity peaked.

Maxwell nodded. **"Long ago, before the War of Mana, the original inhabitants of Lorategia are said to have possessed an incredible power. These inhabitants are known as the Ancients. If you're familiar with the old legends, the Ancients vanished from Lorategia when their race came close to extinction. People say they died off but others say that these inaccessible doors are the doorways into the Ancient's home"** he explained. Most talks about the Ancients were just folklore and legends. They have no solid proof. There was so much more they needed to know before they could come out and say that the Ancients were still alive.

Ramxa walked up to the old door and examined it before placing his hand on it. **"Who knew these old doors held such a huge secret. Does it say how one gains access to their world?"** he asked. He was a man of history himself so this sort of thing interests him greatly. Not only that, but if this story was true, then it would be a huge discovery to the world.

Maxwell folded his arms in thought. He fell into a moment of silence to gather his thoughts. **"The details are sketchy but it is foretold that when four descendants of the Ancients come together and approach the door, their Mana will fuse together and pour into the door, opening it to their distant homeland"** he said. There wasn't much known about the doors, the Ancients or these four descendants.

Tsuki couldn't help but think back to when he had that strange vision in the upper chamber. **"Four descendants of the Ancients, huh?"** he said to himself. He then remembered that when the strange figure in his vision referred to him as a descendent. He then shook his head, shaking the thought.

Lynette looked at Tsuki, tilting her head. He seemed to be bothered by something. **"Tsuki? What's wrong?"** she asked. She was a little concerned because he wasn't being himself since that last aftershock in the upper chamber.

Tsuki looked at Lynette and shook his head. **"I'm fine, it's nothing to worry about"** he said. He then looked at Maxwell. **"Anyway, we need to talk about Basilwell. Can we get to that already?"** he asked. He didn't want to get distracted anyone. This whole business with the Ancients did catch his interests, but has had enough with side trips.

Maxwell looked at Tsuki and nodded. **"Ah, yes. Let's return to the surface and we'll continue our discussion there"** he said. He then looked at Ramza. **"I ask that you come with us as well. I have a request that I'd like to ask of you"** he said. He then walked into the tunnels from where they came from and started to head back towards the surface.

Tsuki, Lynette and Ramza then followed Maxwell out of the chamber. They eventually met up with Frey in the upper chamber but was still too weak to walk on his own. With the help of Tsuki and Maxwell, they helped Frey walk and before they knew it, they were back on the surface as sunlight and a cool, fresh breeze welcomes them back from the suffocating mines. along with cheers of relief from the miners and military personnel.

**To be continued...**


	14. Chapter 13: A New Companion

**Tales of Xalthia**

**Chapter 13: A New Companion**

**D**ue to the chaos that took place in the mines, the meeting with General Maxwell was postponed since order needed to be restored within the city. The commotion among the people took hours to finally die down with the combined efforts of Briswater officials and Tsuki's efforts. Thankfully, there were minor casualties but the mines were closed until further notice. Not even Tsuki was allowed to go back in. Even though that their long awaited meeting was postponed, it gave everyone a chance to rest and recover. The trek into the depths of the mines were tough since Tsuki couldn't fight to his full potential with a broken sword.

The next morning, everyone was still a little shook up due to what happened. The citizens were told that there was an accidental explosion within the mines. Maxwell didn't want to create panic and hysteria if they heard that someone was tampering within their mines. The hospitals and clinics were packed with injured miners and soldiers since there were more others besides miners within the mine when the attack happened. Thankfully, this was the time of year where mining is on it's off-season so not many miners were present at the time of the attack. During the season of mining, there are about three hundred miners who work within the mines daily so the people are relieved that this didn't happen at the wrong time.

With the chaos in the city finally settling down, it was finally time for Tsuki and Lynette to meet up with General Maxwell and discuss the matters of gaining access to Basilwell. When they were ready, they made their way into the Government District and found themselves in the command center of Briswater's military. Due to the fact that the Government District is a highly classified and restricted area, they had to be escorted by officials despite the fact that Tsuki was a royal knight. With the escort guiding them, they met up with General Maxwell, Frey and Ramza in Maxwell's office.

When Tsuki and Lynette walked into his office, Maxwell greeted them with praise for their valiant efforts they're shown with the restoration of order within the city and their efforts in the mine.**"Welcome, my honored guests. Before we begin, I'd like to personally thank you on behalf of Briswater. Your actions in the mines helped us greatly and you even helped us restore balance and order among the citizens. We are in your debt"** he said.

Tsuki walked up to Ramza, who was standing in front of Maxwell's desk and shook his head. **"It was nothing. You don't need to thank us. As a knight in the service of the royal family, I couldn't abandon our allies when they are in trouble. I'll be sure to collect on that debt in the future though"** he said. He knows that Briswater takes their debits seriously, so this was a good thing. Briswater is known for their fast response time in times of need and that may become useful in the future. **"Now, you know why we're here. We'd like to gain access to Basilwell"** he said, getting straight to the point.

Maxwell nodded to his obvious request. He had already known why he wanted to meet with him since he received notice from the royal family prior to their arrival. **"Yes, I will certainly make that happen. You'll need this to get past the guards who are guarding the entrance to the Cavern of Solace"** he said, reaching into his desk. He then pulled out a passport and handed it to Tsuki.**"Show that to the guards and they'll allow you in. You should also know that the Cavern of Solace, the caves that will lead you to Basilwell, have shown abnormally high monster activity. We do not know what's causing the increased monster activity, which is why we closed off access until we have an answer"** he said.

Tsuki smirked a bit and took the passport. **"Bring them on. No monster will get in my way. I've been derailed enough on this mission as it is"** he said. He still has to find a sword before he leaves. It would be suicide if he left without one. He acted confident though despite his sword being broken though.

Maxwell chucked a bit, seeing through his act. **"I see. Well, you can't go into those caves with high monster activity with a broken sword. You wouldn't last a minute in there. I heard your sword broke when you had an encounter with our local demon in the woods. I had our top blacksmiths forge you a new blade as a token of my appreciation. Frey?"** he said, motioning to Frey who stood next to him.

Frey nodded when Maxwell motioned to him. **"Yes sir"** he said. He then walked up to Tsuki and handed him a sword in a purple sheath. **"This is the Murasame, one of the finest swords our blacksmiths have crafted in quite a long time. The blade is forged from adamantium, one of the strongest metals in existence. The blade won't be easy to break this time"** he said.

Tsuki looked at Frey then at the sword. He nodded a moment later and took it from him. The sword was incredibly lightweight due to the fact that it's made from one of the strongest metals in the world. He drew the sword from it's sheath and backed away from everyone to put some distance between him and everyone else to swing it around to get a feel for it. When he swung it a few times, the then examined the blade. **"It's so light and fluid. I can already tell the difference between my old sword and this one"** he said.

Maxwell smiled a bit, seeing his satisfaction on his face. **"Of course. We do have some of the world's best blacksmiths in this city, after all"** he said. He then walked up to Tsuki and pointed to his new sword. **"Adamantium is a rare metal that you can hardly find anywhere anymore. It's metal that was used in the past but has become almost nonexistent"** he said.

Tsuki examined the sword a bit longer before putting it back in it's sheath and strapped it to his waist next to the broken sword. Since his sword was the property of Eresseas, he couldn't throw it away. **"Thank you. I'll be sure to take good care of it"** he said.

Maxwell nodded and looked at Ramza. **"Now, I have a request for you"** he said. He then closed his eyes and took a moment to gather his thoughts. **"That knight we encountered in the mines...I feel that we haven't seen the last of him. You said you are hunting him down on orders of Ersheaths' king right?"** he asked.

Ramza nodded at his question. **"That's correct. I don't know why the king has made such an order, but it's an order I can't refuse. Why do you ask?"** he asked.

Maxwell looked over at Tsuki then back at Ramza. The knight seemed strangely interested in Tsuki for some reason due to her brief moment of hesitation. **"I don't want to get in the way of your mission or impede you from it, but I'd like you to accompany Tsuki and Lynette on their travels"** he said. He was worried about the comments the knight said about Tsuki and didn't feel comfortable sending him back out in the wild without someone having some knowledge on the knight especially due to the knight's incredible power.

Ramza was surprised at Maxwell's request. He didn't expect something like that. **"Accompany them? What for?"** he asked. He was someone who completes his missions at his own pace similar to how mercenaries work. He didn't mind it if he went with them, but he wanted to know why he should.

Maxwell walked away from Tsuki and faced the entire group. **"It's about that knight's comments towards Tsuki and the power that was demonstrated. He said some rather questionable things about him and also gave him a strange look. I have a feeling that there's something that links Tsuki to that knight. What that link could be, I can't even begin to guess"** he said.

Tsuki remembers when the knight showed a moment of hesitation when he saw him. **"Now that you mention it, the knight did seem to know something about me. His behavior towards me was strange. He seemed more shocked to see me over his intent to kill me"** he said.

Ramza folded his arms and slipped into thought for a moment. **"That's true. He did leave rather willingly. Even if he was surrounded, he still would of fought. I'll agree with you; it concerns me as well"** he said. It's puzzling for him because he knows the knight more than them. It didn't make sense since the behavior he showed didn't add up.

Maxwell once again fell back into thought. The only people who knew about the knight were on another continent and Ramza. They don't know a thing about the knight. **"So, not even you could shed some light on the situation. With the little information we have to go on, I will ask you again. Will you accompany Tsuki on his travels?"** he asked once more.

Ramza went silent as he thought about his request. Traveling with them could be a good thing especially if it leads him to the Shadow Knight He soon nodded, accepting his request. **"Alright, I'll accept your request as long as Tsuki agrees to it as well. I won't force myself onto his group"** he said.

Tsuki shrugged. **"It's fine with me. We have plenty of room for him. One more person in the group would be a great help"** he said. Having another fighter would help lighten the load on his shoulders since Lynette isn't a fighter. He then looked over at Lynette. **"What about you, Lyn?"**he asked.

Lynette shook her head. **"I don't mind. After all, he did help us in the mines. You're the leader so I'll follow wherever you go and support whatever decision you make"** she said. If they had another fighter in the group, having multiple people might be a challenge at first but it will eventually benefit them in the long run since she doesn't have to solely rely on Tsuki for protection.

Ramza listened to what they had to say and nodded afterwards. **"Alright then. If we're all in agreement then, I shall accompany you on your travels. I look forward to see where our paths take us"** he said. A part of him was excited to be in the group. It gives him the opportunity to see how other people from a different kingdom live and fight.

Maxwell nodded. **"Good. Now, I suspect that you want to reach Basilwell as soon as possible, correct?"** he asked. The travel distance between Briswater and Basilwell is about a three day's travel by foot. They would have to head straight to there without any delays if they wanted to get there within the given time frame.

Tsuki nodded. **"Yes. If Frey has informed you, we ran into several delays on the way here. What we're hoping for is that we don't run into anymore delays"** he said. He really didn't want anything to happen that could disrupt him on his mission any more than it already has.

Maxwell shook his head with a grin on his face. **"No need. A simple sword isn't enough for us to show you our appreciation for what you've done. So..."** he said. He then walked around to the other side of the desk and reached into the drawer and pulled out a pass. **"Show this to the caravan outside. The driver will take you directly to the Cavern of Solace via transport. It's the least we could do since we dragged you so far off course"** he said.

Tsuki took the pass and bowed to him. **"Thank you. This will help us quite a bit"** he said. Normally, Briswater's caravan ware only used to transport the city officials. Someone would need permission from Maxwell if they wanted to to receive fast transport.

Maxwell nodded and looked at the entire group. **"I pray that oyu three will have safe travels from here on out. If you ever need our assistance, you know how to contact us"** he said.

Frey bowed to the group. **"We wish you luck on your travels. We expect to hear good things about you in the future"** he said.

Tsuki listened to their goodbyes and nodded at them. **"We'll be fine"** he said, reassuring them. He then turned around and faced Lynette and Ramza. **"Okay guys, let's get going"** he said. He then walked past them and left Maxwell's office.

Lynette and Ramza followed Tsuki out of the office as he left. They made their way towards the caravan that was outside of the main building. When they arrived at the caravan, they showed the driver the pass they received from Maxwell. The caravan is pulled by two rare monsters named Thalmos. Thalmos monsters are extremely rare and are notorious for their speed. Once the driver looked at the pass to make sure it was authentic, he allowed him on and didn't waste any time getting ready. Tsuki and the others made sure they had everything they needed and when they were ready to leave, they boarded the caravan and within moments, they took off down a service tunnel. The service tunnel runs through the forest and opens up to the outer forest. Before they knew it, they emerged from the tunnel and forest and were now heading towards Basilwell.

The driver looked into the caravan where Tsuki and his group were sitting. **"The trip to Basilwell will take about 7 hours thanks to our tamed monsters. Just sit back and you'll be at your destination in no time"** he said.

Ramza took his broadsword and gun off of him and set them down and stretched. **"Well, looks like we got plenty of time to kill. Let's get to know each other a little better since it seems we'll be traveling together for a while"** he said. If he was going to travel with them, he would like to know more about them and what they do.

Tsuki tilted his head at Ramza's suggestion and nodded. **"Get to know each other, huh? That's not a bad idea"** he said. He then took a moment to gather his thoughts since there was a lot about him that there was to say. **"Well, you already know who I am by name. I'm under the service of the royal family of Eresseas, King Taichi, Queen Emma and Princess Cheria. I'm one of the Royal Eight, who are the family's personal bodyguards and elite force of the kingdom. I was not born into service though, unlike the rest of the members of the Royal Eight. I enlisted in the Eresseas' military and was put under the royal family's service after about three years. I started out as a common soldier but with years of intense training, dedication and alongside the recommendations of the Princess and my fellow comrades, I was brought into the Royal Eight. Currently, I'm on a mission to over see government matters in Basilwell and to find and exterminate the root cause that's making the monster activity more frequent, if possible"** he explained. There was a lot to his past but he keeps those details to himself. Not many know of what went on when he first came to Eresseas.

Lynette waited in silence and listened to Tsuki as he did his introduction. Although, she already knew most of what he had to say. **"I don't have much of an exciting life as Tsuki does. I'm just an average healer, nothing special. I started traveling around Cayhill when I turned eighteen and ended up staying in a small village called Crescentia for about a year. It's a nice, peaceful village so I like it a lot. I met Tsuki there not too long ago and didn't initially plan on joining him on his travels, but I was hit by a local disease and he went out of his way to help heal me. Knowing that, I had to repay him for what he did for me so I decided to join him"**she explained. Her story wasn't as exciting as Tsuki's but she did her best.

Ramza sat in silence and listened to both of their stories. They did fill in some of the blanks in his mind after explaining a few things. It was interesting to learn more about them. **"I see. Well, I'm employed under the service of King Raiku of Ersheath as an envoy and mercenary. Unlike Tsuki, I'm not directly tied to the king, I get called upon for a job and I do it. It's as simple as that. Unfortunately, that's all I can say right now unless King Raiku permits me to explain further"** he said.

Tsuki nodded as Ramza explained a little bit about himself. He can understand that there may be things he can't say without permission and he chose not to divulge into them. As their trip went by for the next several hours, the three, along with the driver started to talk about a number of different things. They needed to build a trust between them if they were going to rely on each other on the battlefield. Although Cayhill doesn't have any enemies and remains a neutral state, teaming up with people from a different kingdom could cause problems if there's no trust between them. It was also a good way to use up the time they had since they were hours away from their destination.

**To be continued...**


End file.
